When brain and body are most rapidly developingโ๏ธ๐ฒ๐๏ธ๐ณ๐คพโโ๏ธ๐ด๐ง๐๏ธ
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ โ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ โ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ
In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss – and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing.
Two-year study: how does nature change microbial composition of children’s skin, saliva and faeces? See The Guardianย How a radical experiment to bring a forest into a preschool transformed childrenโs health
The study was the first of its kind. Blood samples were taken to look at immune defences, and a short questionnaire about infectious diseases was filled out every three months.
75 children between 3 and 5 years old across 10 urban daycare centres.
The findings ๐ณ
๐๐ผ Only one year later:
โ Children playing in the green kindergartens had ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐-๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ โ such as Streptococcus โ on their skin.
โ Stronger ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ.
โ Gut microbiota showed ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ bacteria โ associated with inflammatory bowel disease, colitis and infections such as sepsis and botulism.
โ Within 28 days it found an ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ that protect the body from autoimmune diseases.
โ In just two weeks childrenโs ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ regulation could be ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ by playing in a sandpit enriched with garden soil.
๐ฆ The human body contains trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi, which are essential to how we function.
Research shows external micro-biodiversity (such as bacteria and fungi) is transferred into the body through touch or ingestion.
Even breathing counts: the air has its own microbiome, which is associated with tree and plant species in the surrounding area.
Soil โ home to 90% of the worldโs fungi โ also feeds the microbiome in the air.
Louis De Jaeger lives in Brussels, Belgium.
Louis De Jaeger, ๐ณ Food Forest & Landscape Designer ๐ Award-winning filmmaker & Author ๐ Commensalist & Eat More Trees & Food Forest Institute & Ten Lives๐ 40u40
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