Gardening is a popular hobby, with about one-quarter of Americans engaging in it. But gardening’s benefits may extend past a verdant spread and a way to soak up fresh air and sunlight. Specifically, gardening may help cancer survivors feel better about their health.
Study Participants Team Up With Master Gardeners
A recent randomized clinical trial, published in June in JAMA Network Open, examined whether diet, physical activity and function, and other outcomes improved in older cancer survivors who engaged in vegetable gardening. While gardening did not improve health outcomes directly, the findings suggest “perceived” improvements in health and physical performance. Participants also ate more fruits and vegetables, with consumption of veggies increasing by one-third of a serving per day. Additionally, researchers observed improvements in participants’ gut microbiomes.“Given associations of perceived health with mortality and of sustained higher levels of alpha diversity with decreasing risk of heart disease, diabetes, sarcopenia, and obesity (conditions prevalent among cancer survivors), these effects are noteworthy,” the authors wrote. Alpha diversity refers to a measure of bacterial diversity in the gut.
