Green link to slower mental decline

Living in the country or near a city park can reduce the rate of age-related mental decline, research has shown.

A c c e s s t o g r e e n s p a c e improved brain ageing in a group of more than 60,000 Britons who were monitored for ten years, scientists found.

The effect was most marked a m o n g w o m e n , s a i d t h e r e s e a r c h e r s , wh o e s t i m a ted the amount of neighbourhood green space for each participant using satellite images. Lead scientist Carmen de Keijzer, from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, in Spain, said: “Our data show that the decline in the cognitive score after the ten years f o l l ow - u p wa s 4 .6 p e r c e n t smaller in participants living in greener neighbourhoods. T h e o b s e r ve d a s s o c i a t i o n s were stronger among women.”

The study built on evidence that the risk of dementia and mental decline can be affected by urban environmental hazards such as air pollution and noise, as well as stress and sedentary lifestyle.

The findings appear in the journal Environmental Health Perspective.