Nature-Based Therapy Can Boost Immune System Function Among Older Adults, Study Finds

A study published in the Journals of Gerontology, Series A suggests nature therapy can mitigate age-related decline of the immune system, reports PsyPost . The researchers explored Horticultural Therapy (HT), an approach that combines the mental health benefits associated with nature activities with the physical benefits of breathing cleaner air and exercise. They assigned 59 Singaporean adults between 61 and 77 to either receive a six-month HT intervention or to be on a waiting list. The therapy cohort participated in 15 hour-long sessions at first weekly, then monthly. Sessions included a mix of indoor horticulture, park visits, and outdoor gardening, with blood samples collected at baseline, three months into the intervention, and six months in. HT was associated with lower T-cell exhaustion, a telltale of the aging immune system. HT group participants also exhibited reduced inflammaging, which is a "chronic state of low-grade inflammation" that occurs in older adults and is believed to contribute to disease. "HT has already been institutionalized in some hospitals to reinforce mental fortitude in cancer patients and our findings suggest that by lowering the expression of exhaustion markers, HT may also be beneficial in promoting T cell anti-tumor surveillance in older adults," the researchers concluded.