Acute effects of walking in forest environments on cardiovascular and metabolic parameters

Abstract

We previously found that forest environments reduced stress hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline and showed the relaxing effect both in male and female subjects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of walking under forest environments on cardiovascular and metabolic parameters. Sixteen healthy male subjects (mean age 57.4 ± 11.6 years) were selected after obtaining informed consent. The subjects took day trips to a forest park in the suburbs of Tokyo and to an urban area of Tokyo as a control in September 2010. On both trips, they walked for 2 h in the morning and afternoon on a Sunday. Blood and urine were sampled on the morning before each trip and after each trip. Blood pressure was measured on the morning (0800) before each trip, at noon (1300), in the afternoon (1600) during each trip, and on the morning (0800) after each trip. The day trip to the forest park significantly reduced blood pressure and urinary noradrenaline and dopamine levels and significantly increased serum adiponectin and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels. Walking exercise also reduced the levels of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and urinary dopamine. Taken together, habitual walking in forest environments may lower blood pressure by reducing sympathetic nerve activity and have beneficial effects on blood adiponectin and DHEA-S levels, and habitual walking exercise may have beneficial effects on blood NT-proBNP levels.

Aerobic Exercise and Eucalyptus Globulus: Cardio-affective effects on recovery and stress

“…Dayawansa et al [22] demonstrated, via cedrol oil inhalation by humans, a reduced sympathetic nerve activity and an increased parasympathetic tone, thus presenting a consequent increase in the baroreflex sensitivity. Such results can be associated with Li et al [23], who found a significant effect of a 2 hours walk in a forest park on BP reduction, corroborating the current outcomes, demonstrating that the interaction between aerobic exercise and eucalyptus essential oil attenuates SBP reactivity to induced stress. However, according to the current study, a 15 minutes run/walk at moderate intensity was enough.…”

An Emerging Paradigm for the UNESCO Global Geoparks: The Ecosystem’s Health Provision

“…The potential health and wellbeing benefits provided by sensory experiences from the smells of nature must be taken into account, especially the smell of fresh air [44,49], wet earth [41,45], trees [54,55] and wild fruits [44]. There are potentially healthful flora settings that should be identified, considering the presence of native flowers [56,57], the degree of plant biodiversity [49,58,59] and the presence of grassland [60] and trees [44,45,49,61].…”

Physical, Psychological and Emotional Benefits of Green Physical Activity: An Ecological Dynamics Perspective

“…A meta-analysis revealed that a walk/run in a natural environment, (e.g. public parks) provides more psycho-emotional benefits, such as revitalisation and feelings of tranquillity, in comparison to exercising in a synthetic environment, such as indoors or in built environments [11]. Therefore, green PA has been increasingly recognised as providing important positive contributions to health and wellbeing and may comprise a valuable treatment for mental health problems, acting as a buffer against the development of depression and anxiety disorders [13].…”