Digging in the dirt may bring older Americans an abundant harvest of health benefits.  Exercise is vital to remaining healthy as we age, and gardening is known as a pleasant way to get in some moderate physical activity.

In research to be published in the journal HortScience, Kansas State University researchers discovered that among the other health benefits of gardening is keeping older hands strong and nimble.

“One of the things we found is that older adults who are gardeners have better hand strength and pinch force, which is a big concern as you age,” said Candice Shoemaker, Kansas State professor of horticulture.

The researchers studied 15 areas of health in older adults, from both those who garden and those who don’t.  The researchers looked at measurements such as bone mineral density, sleep quality, physical fitness, hand strength, and psychological well being.

“We found that with gardening tasks olders adults can, among other things, improve hand strength and self esteem at the same time,” said Sin-Ae Park, a Kansas State research associate in horticulture.

The results about the positive impact of gardening on hand strength prompted Park and the researchers to explore this area further.  They are now analyzing data from an eight week horticulture therapy program that targeted hand strength in stroke patients.

There’s a lot of natural motivation in gardening,” Shoemaker said.  “For one thing, you know there’s a plant you’ve got to go out and water and weed to keep alive.  If we get the message out there that older adults can get health benefits from gardening, they’ll realize that they don’t have to walk around the mall to get exercise.”

Copyright 2008, Eli Research.  Reproduced with permission.