Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Gardening is a great way to get outdoors and soak up Vitamin D, plus enjoy fresh vegetables. Dietary guidelines recommend that adults eat 2-3 cups of vegetables daily to prevent obesity and cardiovascular disease and boost immune function, which makes eating enough vegetables even more important for people who have had cancer.
In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in collaboration with researchers from Auburn University, found that growing vegetables improves the health of cancer survivors.
Harvest for Health was a clinical trial conducted in Alabama that looked at 381 cancer survivors, ages 50 to 95, who were at higher risk for chronic disease because they consumed fewer than five servings of vegetables and fruit and exercised less than 150 minutes per day.
The initial study began in Jefferson County in August 2013 and expanded in January 2017 to include participants in 26 additional counties in Alabama. In this study, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, one to start the trial immediately and one to be on a waiting list to start the trial the following year.
Each participant received one raised bed or four growing boxes filled with seeds, gardening tools and recipes to start a home garden, and a mentor, a certified Master Gardener from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, provided guidance every two weeks on planning, planting and caring for the garden.
UAB research staff measured the survivors' strength, balance and agility, and collected biosamples and data on vegetable and fruit intake and physical activity.
“Results from the study showed that survivors increased their vegetable intake by about one-third per day,” said lead researcher Wendy DeMark Warnefried, PhD, professor in the School of Health Professions and Webb Professor of Nutritional Sciences.
“And compared to the delayed intervention group, there were significant improvements in motor function, function, perceived health, and gut microbiota.”
Cancer survivors are a vulnerable population who are at much higher risk of developing second cancers, heart disease and diabetes. They age faster and are more likely to become frail and lose their independence, said Demark Warnefried, a senior scientist at the University of Alabama O'Neill Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Interventions that support healthier food choices, such as eating more vegetables, and provide more opportunities for increased physical activity are important,” she said.
“I hope that other studies will evaluate the benefits of gardening interventions in different environments and with different populations of cancer survivors. In the meantime, cancer survivors should explore ways to cultivate their health, and vegetable gardens are a great place to start.”
Further information: Wendy Demark-Wahnefried et al., “Vegetable Gardening and Health Outcomes among Older Cancer Survivors,” JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17122
Courtesy of University of Alabama at Birmingham
Citation: Vegetable gardening may improve health outcomes for cancer survivors, study finds (June 21, 2024) Retrieved June 21, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-vegetable-gardening-health-outcomes-cancer.html
This document is subject to copyright. It may not be reproduced without written permission, except for fair dealing for the purposes of personal study or research. The content is provided for informational purposes only.
