Are you missing out on this source of nutrition? (clue – it’s NOT in food!)
Do you like a walk in the park?
It’s one of the reasons I love having a dog, because it pushes me to get out and about in our wonderful local park, at least once a day.
And not just the park…
I love to head out into the woods and meadows whenever I have enough time.
Even those scrubby, nettle-filled edgeways that run through and around the town can be inspiring.
It FEELS so good when I come back afterwards.
I feel less stressed, more energetic and less focused on any painful niggles I might be suffering with.
Now, I’ve always assumed that this was down to the psychological benefit of seeing trees, plants and animals… along with the well-recorded benefits of walking.
But here’s a radical idea…
What if a country walk is NOT only about the psychological power of being immersed in nature?
And what if it’s NOT only about the exercise?
What if BREATHING in the air has nutritional benefits too?
This is the conclusion that scientists in Australia have come to, according to a startling piece in the New Scientist last month.
The surprising reason why a country walk
can do you so much good
Back in 2019, Paul Trayhurn, a nutritional biologist in Liverpool, argued that oxygen should be reclassified as a nutrient.
He pointed out that even though oxygen is absorbed through the airways instead of the gastrointestinal tract, it’s “a substance that provides nourishment for the maintenance of life and for growth”.
This caught the attention of Australian researchers, who set out to DISPROVE his theory.
However, what they discovered surprised them.
Flávia Fayet-Moore, a nutritional scientist at the University of Newcastle in Australia says that there’s clear evidence that we can “absorb nutrients from the air we breathe.”
They found that air can contain trace amounts of compounds that most of us don’t consider as ‘airborne’.
One example is iodine; a trace element micronutrient we need to make thyroid hormones.
This is usually found in seafood, seaweed and crops that grow in iodine-rich soil…
But it’s estimated that inhaling iodine-rich air could give you around 7.3% of your recommended intake.
Or there’s manganese, which helps detoxify your central nervous system…
This has been shown to enter your brain directly via the olfactory epithelium, a patch of nerve endings in your nasal cavity.
Fayet-Moore told The New Scientist, “The amounts of nutrients in air are minute, yes, but our respiratory airways are way more efficient at absorbing molecules than our gut.”
This is why drug users often snort substances – because airborne molecules quickly diffuse into that intensely clustered layer of blood vessels in your nasal cavity.
It works better than swallowing, because it avoids the longer, slower, more destructive process of going through your stomach.
Zinc and iron could also enter your brain via the olfactory epithelium, says Fayet-Moore, but they need to do more research on that.
So yes, it’s early days, but interesting stuff, right?
And it’s not the only study that has shown the biological benefits of walking in nature.
The Plant Odours that Are Good For Us
Other research has shown that trees and plants release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to attract pollinating insects and ward off pests.
These can also have a strong effect on us, physically!
For example. trees like the Sitka spruce or Scots pine release α- and β-pinene, odorants which can reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and reduce stress hormones.
Some smaller studies even suggest that they might also increase number of immune defence cells in your blood, making you more able to fight infections and disease.
This might be why ‘forest bathing’ works so well.
A 2010 study in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine found that people who spent lots of time in forests had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Studies in Japan and South Korea, have also linked the act of immersing yourself in a woodland environment to the following benefits:
• Reduced heart rate and blood pressure
• Improved mood and focus
• Boosted immune function
• Better sleep
So if you can get out into a natural environment as much as possible this summer, you could notice a lot more than just an uplift in your mood.
But of course, not everybody gets the privilege of living in the countryside – or being mobile enough to take long walks.
In which case, what can you do?
Why You Should Stop and Smell the Flowers
Well, even if you can get out into a garden, or a local park, that will make a difference. And there are some active ways you can take advantage of this phenomenon.
According to neurobiologist Michael Leon at the University of California, Irvine, the key is to use your sense of smell.
His research has shown that inhaling 40 different odours every day can improve your brain health, boost mental sharpness and help reduce dementia symptoms.
So the key is to immerse yourself in nature, even if you’re just sat for a while or walking slowly for 10 minutes.
Try to use your sense of touch, smell and sight to mindfully soak it all up – along with some deep breathing exercises to absorb those volatile organic compounds.
