Why getting your hands dirty is good for you
20 days ago
- Touching soil, grass, or moss increases the diversity of microbes on skin, which helps protect against harmful bacteria.
- Regular contact with natural materials like soil and plants boosts skin microbial diversity and benefits the immune system.
- Studies show that playing in microbially rich environments (e.g., forest floors) reduces potential pathogens on children's skin and improves immune markers like cytokines and regulatory T cells.
- Gardening with diverse soil or having green walls in offices increases skin microbial diversity and reduces inflammatory markers in blood.
- The biodiversity hypothesis suggests that loss of environmental biodiversity contributes to rising immune-related conditions.
- Prolonged or frequent skin contact with nature is recommended for overall health, and cities should be designed to facilitate unintentional nature contact.