Doctors Health Press, a division of Lombardi Publishing Corporation and publisher of various natural health newsletters, books, and reports, including the popular online Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin, recently issued a statement commenting on a new study finding that community gardening may be an effective method for weight loss.
As Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin notes, in recent years, community gardening has become increasingly popular in urban areas. Basically, members of a community start their own vegetable garden on a rooftop or an available plot of land. What’s interesting about this trend is that its participants tend to have lower body mass indices (BMIs) and are far less likely to be obese than the rest of the community. BMI is a measure that represents the relationship between a person’s height and weight; a BMI of 25 or over indicates an overweight individual, while 18.5–24.9 indicates normal weight.
As the e-newsletter article “This Springtime Activity Could Bring Your Weight Down” reports, community gardeners in Salt Lake City, Utah, took part in a study examining how one’s hobby impacted his or her weight. A total of 200 participants were studied and compared to neighbors, spouses, and siblings. This cross-section is important to consider for a few reasons:
* People who live in the same community have access to the same things, particularly food choices. They shop at the same grocery stores and the same items are available to all of them.
* Spouses typically engage in similar activities, usually eating the same meals and participating in similar lifestyles.
* Siblings share similar genetics and may therefore be prone to similar health conditions and body types.
The Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin article states that the study found that female gardeners had a BMI two points lower than non-gardeners; this translates into an 11-pound difference for a 5’5” woman. There was an even greater difference for men—the BMI drop for a 5’11” male translated to a 16-pound difference. As well, female and male gardeners are less likely to suffer from obesity than their non-gardening counterparts by 46% and 62%, respectively.
However, the article notes that while the group in the study happened to be community gardeners, the results reflect an overall lifestyle; the gardeners get exercise, but they likely also eat the nutritious food they grow.
Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin concludes by stating that gardening can serve as a great motivation to get healthy and that anybody can garden, regardless of where they live. As well, this study further proves it’s not difficult to make the connection between diet, exercise, and health.
- Courtesy of PRWeb