Association of greenspace and natural environment with brain volumes mediated by lifestyle and biomarkers among urban residents

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the associaiton between environmental measures and brain volumes and its potential mediators. Study design: This was a prospective study. Methods: Our analysis included 34,454 participants (53.4% females) aged 40–73 years at baseline (between 2006 and 2010) from the UK Biobank. Brain volumes were measured using magnetic resonance imaging between 2014 and 2019. Results: Greater proximity to greenspace buffered at 1000 m at baseline was associated with larger volumes of total brain measured 8.8 years after baseline assessment (standardized β (95% CI) for each 10% increment in coverage: 0.013(0.005,0.020)), grey matter (0.013(0.006,0.020)), and white matter (0.011(0.004,0.017)) after adjustment for covariates and air pollution. The corresponding numbers for natural environment buffered at 1000 m were 0.010 (0.004,0.017), 0.009 (0.004,0.015), and 0.010 (0.004,0.016), respectively. Similar results were observed for greenspace and natural environment buffered at 300 m. The strongest mediator for the association between greenspace buffered at 1000 m and total brain volume was smoking (percentage (95% CI) of total variance explained: 7.9% (5.5–11.4%)) followed by mean sphered cell volume (3.3% (1.8–5.8%)), vitamin D (2.9% (1.6–5.1%)), and creatinine in blood (2.7% (1.6–4.7%)). Significant mediators combined explained 18.5% (13.2–25.3%) of the association with total brain volume and 32.9% (95% CI: 22.3–45.7%) of the association with grey matter volume. The percentage (95% CI) of the association between natural environment and total brain volume explained by significant mediators combined was 20.6% (14.7–28.1%)). Conclusions: Higher coverage percentage of greenspace and environment may benefit brain health by promoting healthy lifestyle and improving biomarkers including vitamin D and red blood cell indices.