Spending Time in Nature May Lower Cancer Risk, Israeli Study Finds

An Israeli study examining the effects of nature and greenery on the development of various types of cancer has found a significant connection between the two.

The research focused in part on prostate cancer (which is more common in older men) and breast cancer, and revealed that individuals who were more frequently exposed to nature and green environments had a lower risk of developing cancer. Even among those who did get sick, the disease progressed at a slower rate.

While the study does not claim that this is the sole factor influencing cancer development, it does shed important light on the relationship between cancer risk and environmental factors. These include not only one's surroundings, but also poor nutrition, age, and genetic predisposition.

According to one of the researchers, Dr. Inas Khayal-Tarabiya, “There aren’t many studies that have looked into the connection between living in or frequently being in green environments and cancer risk. We found that those with greater exposure to green residential areas had a 12% lower risk of developing the cancers we studied, including breast, prostate, bladder, skin, and lung cancer.”