People who live in greener neighbourhoods are protected from the common age-related loss in cognitive function that leads to disorders like dementia, a study has found.
Researchers from Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain performed a 10-year follow-up of 6,500 people aged 45 to 68 in the UK.
At three different time points during the course of the study, participants completed a series of cognitive tests that assessed their verbal and mathematical reasoning, verbal fluency and short-term memory, as well as the decline in these functions.
Neighbourhood green space for each participant was estimated using satellite images.
"There is evidence that the risk for dementia and cognitive decline can be affected by exposure to urban-related environmental hazards (such as air pollution and noise) and lifestyle (such as stress and sedentary behaviour).'