Longevity!

September 11th, 2021| Topic: RaMbLeS | 0

I’m not entirely sure why, but we’d all like to live long lives. Longevity is in.

Despite the fact that the Bible says:

And the days of our years—in them are seventy years,
and if in strength, eighty years;
and their pride is [only] toil and harm;
for it has gone by quickly and we fly away.
Psalm 90:10

“Toil and harm.”

But a recent study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress wants to prolong that “toil and harm.”

Well, not exactly. It proposed another way to extend one’s life: Live in a tree-lined neighborhood.

At the very least, it will render you less likely to suffer a heart attack or a stroke. So claimed Dr. William Aitken, of the University of Miami, and his colleagues, in “Longitudinal Impacts of Greenness on Cardiovascular Disease Conditions.”

The researchers looked at data from more than 243,500 Americans aged 65 or older who lived in the same area of Miami from 2011 to 2016. Their medical records were accessed to obtain the incidence of new cardiovascular conditions during the five-year hypertension blood pressure, and strokes.

The greenness of their neighborhoods was assessed by analyzing satellite images and estimating the amount of sunlight reflected from the Earth’s surface. Chlorophyll from plants typically absorbs visible light and reflects near-infrared light, so measuring both indicates the amount of vegetation in the area studied. The “greenness” of city blocks was then classified as low, medium, or high.

Aitken:

Higher levels of greenness were associated with lower rates of heart conditions and stroke over time, both when an area maintained high greenness and when greenness increased. It was remarkable that these relationships appeared in just five years, a relatively short amount of time for a positive environmental impact.”

Residents of high-greenness blocks throughout the study had a 16 percent lower odds of developing new cardiovascular conditions compared to those in low-greenness blocks. Among participants who developed a cardiovascular condition during the study period, those in high-greenness areas developed 4 percent fewer new diseases compared with those in low greenness blocks.

In fact, participants whose neighborhood became greener over a period of five years had 15 percent lower odds of such diseases, compared to residents living in “low” green regions all along.

Aitken again:

We suspect that multiple factors may account for these observations. For instance, people living in greener areas may do more outdoor exercise and might feel less stressed due to being surrounded by nature. In addition, vegetation could provide some protection from air and/or noise pollution. This is an area for further exploration.”

Bottom line:

Tree planting and greening of neighborhoods is associated with multiple benefits and offers a relatively low-cost investment to enhance health and well-being in many circumstances. For the cost of one emergency room visit for a heart attack, trees could be planted in a neighborhood with 100 residents and potentially prevent ten heart diseases in this group.”

Of course, there are all kinds of postulated reasons and causes for longevity in humans other than green neighborhoods: good genes, availability of adequate health care, healthy habits, clean lifestyle, exercise, rest, and so on. All of that is good stuff.

But the best way, for a child of God, is what Proverbs recommends:

The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
Proverbs 10:27

In other words, listening to God, walking with God, revering God, obeying God.

Hear, my child, and accept my sayings
And the years of your life will be many.
Proverbs 4:10

Live long … for God!

SOURCE:
Study Finds; European Society of Cardiology