Humans are naturally born to cling to youth and worry about old age, in the hope of living a longer and healthier life, but the anti-aging craze, whose global trade volume has reached $26 billion, is “expected to double in the next decade” – according to “Fortune” magazine – has prompted American billionaire Brian Johnson ( 46 years old) to spend two million dollars a year, to appear at the age of 18, through a technique called “reversing aging” (meaning reversing the effects of aging, by replacing damaged tissue with new tissue, and undergoing other systems and treatments), according to what was published by the Bloomberg website at the beginning. Year 2023.

But the irony is that an American mother named Julie Clark (55 years old) achieved impressive results with her own efforts to slow down aging, 4 points ahead of Johnson and the millions he and his medical team of 30 doctors spent, by “eating more vegetables, less sugar, and exercising 5 days a day.” week, and hiking on the weekend,” Fortune reports.

This confirms the results of studies that showed that “following the Mediterranean diet can help you live longer, up to a decade,” and that “walking for two hours a week is associated with a significant increase in life expectancy,” according to the “i” website. “NC.”

But now we are making a lifestyle change that is free and simpler, that will improve our health and make us look younger.

Being close to trees keeps you away from old age

On June 29, 2023, scientists at Northwestern Feinberg University School of Medicine in Chicago conducted a study that included more than 900 people residing in 4 different American cities, “to find out whether living near Green Spaces can positively affect aging.” “And contributes to healthy aging.”

The researchers found that “more Green spaces were associated with slower biological aging, as people who lived closer to them looked 2.5 years younger on average than those who lived in less green spaces.”

This is confirmed by this new study conducted by North Carolina State University late last year, based on tracking health data and the place where nearly 8,000 people live over the course of an entire year, and published in the journal “Comprehensive Ecology,” and indicated that “… “More time closer to nature makes our cells look years younger.”

How does greenery keep our cells young?

The latest study found that green spaces have a positive effect on an important genetic indicator linked to stress and measuring rates of aging and cell wear, called telomere length. Its discoverers won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009.

According to the explanation of experts on the “Very Well Health” website, telomeres “are the parts of DNA responsible for protecting cells, and the more damaged they are, the shorter their length.”

Every division of our cells causes these telomeres to become shorter, until they grow old, lose the ability to reproduce, and die, which affects more cells over time, and leads to tissue damage and the appearance of signs of aging. Although “telomeres do not shrink in everyone at the same rate, stress “For some, it may weaken it more quickly.”

Hence, the researchers examined the “telling signs of physical aging” by measuring the length of telomeres in people who live in a Tree-filled area or next to a large park that allows a lot of greenery to be seen, and in people who live in residential neighborhoods drowned in concrete.

They found that “people who had green spaces had longer telomeres, unlike residents of areas deprived of greenery,” says Dr. Aaron Heap, a co-author of the study.

Benefits of spending time among trees

Scientists agree that trees help live a longer, happier, and healthier life. They:

• Helps improve sleep qualityIn 2015, a study – including more than 255,000 people – showed how green spaces helped “protect men of all ages and older people from poor sleep,” according to the US News website.
• Reduces the level of depression and premature deathIn late 2016, a study that included nearly 110,000 women, over an 8-year period, found that trees and green spaces may prolong life, and that women who lived in greener areas had a 12% lower death rate than women surrounding them. Fewer trees.
• The results indicated the role of trees in “Protection from sunstroke“Providing clean air and better breathing.” Dr. Peter James, an epidemiologist researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health and supervisor of the study, attributed the lower risk of death to the role of green environments in promoting physical activity, social communication, and alleviating depression.

• Protects against chronic diseasesIn 2018, researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of East Anglia in Britain collected evidence from more than 140 studies that included more than 290 million people from several countries, and found that spending time in natural green spaces, or living near them, reduces the risk of developing diabetes from… Type II, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, increases sleep duration, and reduces levels of the stress hormone (cortisol).
• Helps restore health, In 2020, a research paper reviewed the health effects of trees, including “restoring health, helping to feel better,” and linking tree exposure to “physical recovery, reducing mental and physical stress, and improving mood.”
• Improves cognition It protects against cognitive decline and cancer. In 2021, research showed that regularly spending time around trees “improves cognition, creates long-term changes in reducing anxiety and cognitive decline, and prevents cancer.”