The green walls of the office have a positive effect on skin microbiota and regulation of the immunological defense system
In experimental research led by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), it was shown that green walls at the office that actively circulate the air shaped microbiota related to the health of the employees’ skin and had a positive effect on the regulation of the immune system. The effect was already visible within one month.
In the research, voluntary employees were randomly divided into two groups, some of which received an active water-circulating green wall in their office, and some served as a control group without a green wall. Green walls were placed in traditional office buildings and in the hospital area. The green wall was made by the Finnish company Naava Group Oy, and it was covered with heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron scandens), dragon tree (Dracaena sp.) and bird’s nest fern (Asplenium antiquum).
The research revealed that the green walls brought to the office diversified the skin microbiota, which protects the workers’ immune system from disturbances, in just one month.
“Based on our results, green walls are suitable for workplaces and other indoor spaces to balance the normal human microbiome. Although it is often necessary to treat disorders of the immune system with drugs, it would be important to enhance the prevention of these diseases and alleviate the symptoms by means of contact with nature. This study is the first in which the addition of plants to indoor spaces is shown to be connected not only to the human microbiota, but also to the regulation of the immune system,” says PhD researcher Laura Soininen from the University of Helsinki.
Nature’s diverse microbes benefit the development and normal functioning of the human immune system. In urbanized societies, contact with nature has decreased, which is why innovative nature-based solutions are needed to maintain contact with nature and reduce immune system disorders. “The results suggest that we can support people’s health with relatively easy nature-based solutions. However, in urbanized societies, in addition to such solutions, broader societal changes are needed to maintain and increase contact with nature, which is beneficial for human health,” says PhD researcher Marja Roslund from the Natural Resources Institute Finland. “The results encourage us to continue research”.
The research was done in collaboration with Luke, the University of Helsinki and the University of Tampere in the ADELE 2 (Immune Defense and Living Environment) project funded by Business Finland. From the University of Tampere, virology professor Heikki Hyöty’s research group participated in the research, and the research is part of the Laura Soininen’s (University of Helsinki) doctoral thesis.
Photo: Aki Sinkkonen
