The Forestry Agency of Japan, the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) and Nippon Medical School jointly announced on October 13, 2005, that significant results were obtained in a study on the physiological effects of "shinrinyoku," or "forest bathing," a Japanese term referring to the therapeutic effects of forests on humans. The study shows that spending time in a forest activates natural killer (NK) cells, a type of cell known to attack cancer cells, and to increase three types of anti-cancer proteins.

The report on the study, which the institute launched in 2004, was prepared by Dr. Qing Li, who is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School.

The study was conducted with twelve male company employees from Tokyo, aged 37 to 55, who were reporting a high level of stress. As a result of walking in the forests of Nagano Prefecture in Japan over a period of three days, their NK cell activity increased dramatically-by 26.5 percent at the end of the first day and 52.6 percent on the second day. It is thought that heightened NK cell functioning enhances the cancer-fighting ability of living organisms.

Dr. Li concluded that forest bathing increased NK activity, and that this effect was mediated by increasing the number of NK cells and by the induction of intracellular anti-cancer proteins, perforin, granulysin and granzymes. The Forestry Agency welcomed the findings, saying they added a scientific evidence and knowledge about the therapeutic effects of forests. The institute plans to conduct additional experiments to further the proof.




Posted: 2006/02/01 10:38:38 AM
Japanese version

TAG Ecosystem , Government , Other , University/Research institute