An unbalanced diet, lack of physical activity (less than 60 minutes a day), stress and social isolation are known to be major risk factors for chronic diseases, including cancer. However, to prevent these risks, the solution would be found for the American professor and researcher Jill S. Litt: gardening. To reach this conclusion, the researcher and her team conducted a randomized, controlled study on nearly 300 people (82% of whom were women). Divided into two groups, half of the participants received a parcel of community or “shared” garden, free, seeds and seedlings as well as an introductory course in gardening. The other half served as a control group. The results were recently published in review The Lancet Planetary Health.
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gardening fiber
Thus, after only one year of practice, the participants of the gardening group have increased their level of physical activity (more than 42 minutes per week) as well as their consumption of vegetable fibers (by 7% on average over the year), thanks to the fruits of their labor and the resulting food education. Gold, ” a one-gram increase in fiber can have significant and positive health effects “, precise James Hebert, co-author of the study and director of the cancer prevention and control program at the University of South Carolina (USA). Indeed, fibers have a definite impact on inflammatory and immune responses, particularly regarding our vulnerability to diabetes and certain cancers. For example, a 2018 report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated that in France, 4,723 cases of cancer out of the 346,000 new cases in 2015 would be attributable to low dietary fiber intake. While on average the French consume less than 18 grams daily, it is recommended to consume between 25 and 40 grams (depending on size, gender, etc.) of fiber per day.
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Gardening to reconnect
Finally, the members of the gardening group also felt a decrease in their stress and anxiety levels, with the most stressed and anxious people seeing the biggest drops. This last observation is not surprising, since the therapeutic gardens as well as horticultural therapy are known for their benefits for mental health (anxiety disorders, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease), particularly in hospital and geriatric environments (Ehpad). However, for the scientific team, the real benefit, both for mental and physical health, lies in sharing and social connection which are created within a shared or collective garden. ” Even if you come to the garden looking to grow your food on your own in a quiet place, you start looking at your neighbor’s plot and sharing techniques and recipes. It’s not just fruits and vegetables. It is also about being in a natural outdoor space with other people », explain the Per Jill S. Litt. In France, renting a garden plot costs between 40 and 80 euros per month (depending on the size and the services offered), a budget that can be reasonable to sow the right seed.