Newsletter April 2026: Can Gardening Support Your Health? Here's What The Studies Say!
- PCNM
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Dr. Tapp's Thought's
Have you started your seedlings yet? I’ll admit I’m a little behind schedule this year.
Gardening at our house in Millbrook has been… aspirational. The soil isn’t ideal for backyard gardens, or at least that’s the explanation I’ve settled on after five years of underperforming vegetables.
Our raised beds have yet to produce the kind of bounty seen in glossy gardening magazines. Still, I refuse to give up. Each year, I find myself studying friends’ gardens, examining a successful experiment, trying to identify what they’re doing that I’m not.
If you have any pearls of wisdom, I’m always listening.
What many people don’t realize is that gardening isn’t just a pleasant pastime. It’s actually one of the more interesting lifestyle interventions studied in health research, particularly in people recovering from cancer.
One of the largest studies examining this is the Harvest for Health trial, which enrolled 381 older cancer survivors in a home-based vegetable gardening program. Participants were paired with master gardeners and supported in growing their own food. Over the course of the study, those who gardened increased their fruit and vegetable intake, improved their physical performance, and reported better perceived health compared with those on the waitlist.
Interestingly, researchers also observed increased diversity in the gut microbiome among participants in the gardening group.
Why does that matter? A diverse microbiome is increasingly recognized as a marker of metabolic and immune resilience. In cancer survivorship research, microbiome diversity has been linked to improved immune function, better metabolic health, and improved responses to certain cancer therapies like immunotherapy. Gardening appears to support this through several pathways: increased vegetable intake (and therefore dietary fibre), exposure to outdoor environments, and increased physical activity.
Gardening also appears to support weight management. Studies consistently show that gardeners tend to have lower body mass index than non-gardeners. Community gardeners, for example, have BMIs nearly two points lower than their neighbours. Randomized trials show that gardening increases fibre intake and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, two variables that reliably improve metabolic health.
For those concerned about joint pain or arthritis, gardening may actually be protective rather than harmful. Long-term participation in gardening and yardwork has been associated with roughly 25–30% lower odds of knee osteoarthritis and chronic knee pain. Even in people who already have osteoarthritis, gardening does not appear to accelerate disease progression.
And then there is the simple but often overlooked benefit of being outdoors, and the satisfaction of growing something yourself.
So consider this a gentle reminder … to you and to me … to start those seedlings.
Clinic News
Understanding Midlife Weight Gain Webinar Replay
In this empowering and science-backed session, Dr. Nicole Edgar, ND MSCP, unpacked what’s really happening in perimenopause and menopause, and why your body may be holding onto weight as a protective response.
You’ll leave this webinar feeling validated, informed, and equipped with a new lens on your body.
Passcode: ver9&qd=
Stroll Into Spring With An Upgraded Skincare Routine
We’re excited to share that we stock G-Lab Skincare within our clinic dispensary. Created by Heidi Graham, a local Registered Nurse with a background in biology, G-Lab was developed as a science-rooted, results-focused line that simplifies skincare without sacrificing quality. The lineup includes:
Hydrate + Balance Facial Cleanser
Brighten + Smooth Serum
Rich Repair Moisturizer
Restore + Resurface Toner
G1 Retinol Cream
Perfect for all skin types, this line is gentle, pH-balanced, and its formulations are fragrance-free. Each product includes high-quality formulations and ingredients without the inflated price tags often seen in the industry.
Weight changes in midlife can feel sudden, confusing, and often frustrating, especially when nothing about your routine seems to have changed.
Many women find that the strategies that once worked no longer have the same impact, and weight begins to shift, particularly around the abdomen.
This is a reflection of a series of natural physiological transitions that occur during perimenopause and menopause. Understanding these changes is the first step toward supporting your body in an effective and sustainable way.
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