Natural killer cells are one of the ways our bodies fight cancer, and visiting forests can lead to a significant increase in both numbers and activity.
We have previously shown that natural exposure can provide self-reported psychological benefits, but there was a lack of data on objective measurement changes, so we look at this paper on the effects of forest bathing. I was really excited. About the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of participants by visiting the forest and breathing the air.
The level of cortisol in our saliva is considered an indicator of our stress levels, and the salivary cortisol levels of study participants are walking through the forest or hanging out in just one (“Watching the forest”) ”) After wandering around or just wandering around. I’m in the city as you can see it at 0:49 in my video.
However, the same effect was found before they went to the forest. In fact, “Forest bathing, especially in forest monitoring, has significantly lower cortisol levels before and after this practice when visiting urban areas.” Therefore, it seems that the idea of spending time in the forest will ease stress just by the idea of spending time in the forest. is. Therefore, “Comparing the effects of forest bathing and urban visits, the expected placebo effect may play a more important role in affecting cortisol (stress) levels than the actual experience of being in the forest. There is.” Until I read this, I was ready to dismiss this as another vague psychological effect. Natural Killer (NK) Cell Activity, one of the ways our bodies fight cancer. It caught my attention.
It all began with this study: 12 men were taken on a long weekend trip to walk through the forest, with almost all of them (11 out of 12) showing higher natural killer cell activity since then I did. That hasn’t increased a little either. As can be seen in my video at 2:00, they increased NK cell activity by about 50% after the trip compared to before going to the forest after the trip.
Nowadays, exercise alone can affect immune function, but “there was no significant difference between walking steps before and during the trip.” Study participants instead walked through the forest. But since they were taken on a trip somewhere and other variables were introduced, how about randomizing them to go on forest trips and forest trips? If there is a special forest effect, how long will it last? Do you have to walk in the forest every day? Before diving into all of that, let’s first see if it works for women too.
This study had the same type of setup and the same type of results. It is a major boost to natural killer cell activity from walking through the forest. Furthermore, this time participants were retested one week later, and natural killer cell activity was still rising. When they were retested a month after the trip, their levels returned to baseline as they could be seen at 2:45 in my video.
So walking through the forest once a week should do that, but this study included a few days of travel. Who can go to the forest all weekend? How about a day trip? The title gives it everything. “Day trip to forest parks increases the natural killer activity and anti-cancer protein expression in male subjects.” Same results and the same big jumps to watch at 3:08 in my video The same staying power was measured the day after the trip, so that it could be. And the activity of natural killer cells was still boosted after a week. “This suggests that if people visit suburban forest parks once a week on a day trip, they may be able to maintain an increase in NK activity,” which has the potential to improve anti-cancer immune function. It suggests that there is.
But I’m not sure yet. How can you attribut the profits to the forest itself, even if you have before and after the data? To claim nature has something to do with it, we need a control group of study participants who have made the same type of trip but have gone somewhere instead. And then I’m going here. Again, all of the research titles state that “visiting forests rather than cities increases natural killer activity and anti-cancer protein expression in humans.” By the end of the forest trip, participants experienced an 80% increase in NK activities after forest bathing, but in my video, 10% bumps and 3 of urban pedestrians, as shown below: It’s now 58.
Both trips also matched physical activity, alcohol and sleep. These are other factors and behaviors that can affect immune function. Therefore, there is confirmation of boosted immunity, but only on forest trips, “forest bathing actually shows that human NK activity is enhanced.” Furthermore, researchers say that “inducing by forest bathing trips We found that the increased number of NK activity and NK cells lasts more than 30 days after travel.” NK activity rose a little bit, one week and a month later, as shown below and at 4:26 in my video. “This suggests that if people visit the forest once a month, they may be able to maintain an increase in NK activity. This may be important in health promotion and preventive medicine.”
Now that we have found that forest bathing has a real effect, why is the next question? What about forests that give us a boost? (You can imagine Big Pharma wondering if it could become a pill.) Next you will find out.
The video I mentioned first is what the health benefits of spending time in nature?
Stay tuned for follow-up posts: Why does forest bathing enhance natural killer cell functionality?
For other ways to improve your immune function, see the related post below.
