Cells of people Living in Greener Areas Age more Slowly, Research Finds

byRoxaine December 02, 2023

Numerous studies have consistently demonstrated that individuals residing in greener neighborhoods experience various health advantages, such as reduced stress levels and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. However, recent research suggests that exposure to parks, trees, and other green spaces can also decelerate the aging process at the cellular level.

An aerial view of City Park and the New Orleans skyline. Green space is associated with slowing the rate of ageing

Published in the Science of the Total Environment, the study revealed that individuals living in neighborhoods with more green space exhibited longer telomeres. Telomeres are associated with extended lifespans and a slower aging process.

Telomeres, resembling the plastic caps on shoelaces, are structures positioned at the termini of each cell’s 46 chromosomes, tasked with preventing DNA unraveling. The replication potential of a cell is directly linked to the length of its telomeres. As telomeres shorten to a point where cell division is hindered, the cells undergo apoptosis.

“Research is now revealing that our living environment, exposure, exercise habits, and dietary choices can each influence the pace of telomere degradation and, consequently, our aging process,” noted Aaron Hipp, a professor of parks, recreation, and tourism management at North Carolina State and a co-author of the study. “A longer telomere typically indicates a younger or more protective and beneficial state, safeguarding the cell from the aging process.”

Green spaces foster physical activity and community interaction, both correlated with improved health outcomes. Neighborhoods abundant in trees and greenery are also frequently cooler, more resilient to flooding, and experience lower rates of air pollution.

Nevertheless, Hipp pointed out that individuals residing in green neighborhoods afflicted by pollution and segregation did not exhibit longer telomeres compared to similar communities with less greenery. “Green space [still] matters,” he emphasized. “It just underscores how crucial it is to establish a level playing field first, so that people have the time and space to go out and enjoy green spaces.”

Hipp and his colleagues analyzed medical records, including telomere length measures from biological samples, and survey responses from over 7,800 individuals who took part in a national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey conducted between 1999 and 2002. The researchers correlated this information with census data to estimate the quantity of green space in each person’s neighborhood. Their findings revealed that a 5% increase in a neighborhood’s green space corresponded to a 1% reduction in cell aging. “The more green the area, the slower the cell aging,” stated Hipp.

Scott Ogletree, the lead author of the report and a lecturer in landscape and wellbeing at the University of Edinburgh, noted that green spaces had minimal impact on telomere length in participants residing in low-income or segregated areas. This raises new inquiries about the interplay between human health and the environment. Ogletree commented, “It does seem that the neighborhood context” of pollution and segregation “might be washing out any benefit we see from the green space on this particular aspect of people’s health.”

Hipp clarified that the study only considered the participants' residential locations during their physical examinations. He pointed out, “There’s all sorts of interactions with green spaces, and you do them at different [ages].” Exposure to green spaces during childhood might have a different impact on development compared to its effect during middle age.

Peter James, an environmental epidemiologist at Harvard who was not part of the study, expressed that the report was innovative in its focus on telomeres rather than other health indicators. James commented, “We generally find green spaces associated with better health outcomes.” He noted the uniqueness of using telomere length as a biomarker of aging in this context.

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