Exposure to plants and parks can boost immunity

Spending more time in nature might have some surprising health benefits.  In a series of studies, scientists found that when people swap their concrete confines for a few hours in more natural surroundings - forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees - they experience increased immune function.

Stress reduction is one factor.  But scientists also chalk it up to phytoncides, the airborne chemicals that plants emit to protect them from decay and insects which also seem to benefit humans.

A number of other studies have shown that visiting parks and forests seems to raise levels of white blood cells, including one in 2007 in which men who took two-hour walks in a forest over two days had a 50 percent spike in levels of natural defence cells.  And another study found an increase in white blood cells that lasted a week in women exposed to phytoncides in forest air.


Source:  O'Conner, A. (2010).  The Claim: Exposure to plants and parks can boost immunity.  Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/health/06real.html  Accessed on 4/08/2010