Indoor Hydroponic Gardening Boosts Wellbeing For Cancer Patients

Indoor hydroponic farming - a method of increasing plants utilizing nutrient-rich h2o alternatively of ungraded - could thief crab patients create amended intelligence health, eat a healthier fare and bask a amended wide value of life.

These findings come from a pilot case-crossover study led by researchers astatine the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. The study was conducted pinch crab patients astatine nan Houston Methodist Cancer Center from October 2022 to September 2023, and nan results were published in Frontiers successful Public Health.

"The health benefits of being outdoors are good documented, and cancer patients who garden have little pain, request less symptom medications and are little apt to person a recurrence," said Taehyun Roh, a module personnel pinch nan Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics who led nan study. "Since galore patients don't person entree to a accepted plot aliases are physically incapable to garden, we wanted to research whether an easy-to-use indoor hydroponic strategy could connection akin benefits."

Participants' mean property was 57 years, 47% were men, 53% were women, 59% were achromatic and 31% were Hispanic. Most had astatine slightest immoderate assemblage acquisition and backstage wellness insurance.

"Interestingly, much than 90% said they had a gait aliases abstraction for a garden, but nan mostly said they did not garden," Roh said.

Participants were given AeroGarden brand hydroponic kits that contained a increasing container, LED turn light, liquid works nutrient nutrients and 12 pod seed kits for heirloom crockery greens. They planted nan seeds and oversaw cultivation and harvesting complete an eight-week study period.

Researchers measured participants' intelligence well-being, psychological distress, value of life, consequence and rootlike intake, and symptom guidance astatine baseline, past again 4 and 8 weeks later utilizing aggregate validated surveys.

By nan extremity of nan study, researchers observed respective encouraging and statistically important improvements.

Mental well-being steadily accrued complete nan 8 weeks, and slump levels dropped significantly. Participants besides reported a amended wide value of life arsenic early arsenic week four, pinch affectional and societal functioning improving by week eight. In addition, appetite nonaccomplishment declined, and galore participants said they were eating much fruits and vegetables.

The improvements observed whitethorn beryllium explained by gardening's expertise to prosecute nan senses, trim accent done autonomic nervous system modulation and foster a consciousness of work and control."

Taehyun Roh, module member, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Texas A&M University

Roh noted that though nan results are promising, nan study has limitations emblematic of a aviator project, including a mini sample size, short study long and nary power group. Larger-scale studies are needed to corroborate nan findings.

"Even so, indoor hydroponic farming shows existent imaginable arsenic a supportive involution successful crab attraction - and possibly beyond," Roh said. "We dream that these findings could widen to each group who deficiency entree to accepted farming aliases to nature, enabling them to summation their wide well-being."

This activity was supported by the Center for Health and Nature, a collaboration betwixt Houston Methodist Hospital, Texan by Nature and Texas A&M Health.

Other contributors to nan study included School of Public Health postgraduate students Anisha Aggarwal, Nishat Tasnim Hasan and Nusrat Fahmida, on with Charles Hall, Ellison Chair of International Floriculture and professor pinch nan Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and colleagues from Houston Methodist.