Forest-based yard improved kindergarten children’s immune system

The article about kindergarten green yards, by Marja Roslund, Riikka Puhakka, Mira Grönroos, Aki Sinkkonen and other researchers from the ADELE research group, was published in the Science Advances journal.

As a result of a high level of hygiene, an urban lifestyle and reduced contact with nature, the microbiota of the human body has been one-sided, which has increased the risk of immune system disorders such as atopy, type 1 diabetes, and allergies.

For the first time, this research shows how the addition of diverse nature to kindergarten yards affects the microbiome of children’s bodies and functioning of the immune system. A total of 75 children from Lahti and Tampere participated in the research.

Based on the results, the touch of green diversified the microbiome of the children’s skin during a month. The gut microbiota of the children who received the green garden was similar to the gut microbiota of the children who visited the forest every day. The changes were also visible in the blood values. The abundance of Gammaproteobacteria on the skin, which enhance the immune defense, increased the concentration of the multifunctional cytokine TGF-β1 in the blood and decreased the concentration of interleukin-17A, which is connected to the development of allergies and immune-mediated diseases.

The results thus support the assumption that contact with nature prevents disorders of the immune system. Aki Sinkkonen, research lead, recommends turning kindergarten yards into green yards.

This is joint research by the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the University of Helsinki, the University of Tampere, the University of Eastern Finland and Charles University in Prague.

Science Advances: Biodiversity intervention enhances immune regulation and health-associated commensal microbiota among Daycare children