New research has found that living in a neighborhood with lots of trees may have similar heart health benefits as regular exercise.

The Green Heart Louisville Project’s HEAL study found that participants who lived in areas with more trees and shrubs had lower levels of a blood marker that is linked to various health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

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The study, conducted at the University of Louisville, examined hundreds of people living in low- to middle-income neighborhoods in South Louisville, Kentucky. Researchers collected blood, urine, nail and hair samples to measure the risk of heart disease before and after planting thousands of trees in the community.

“We’re trying to find out if we can reduce the rate of heart disease in a population,” said Aruni Bhatnagar, project leader and professor of medicine at the University of Louisville.

Researchers planted nearly 8,500 mature trees between 2019 and 2022 to study the link between trees and a reduced risk of heart disease. They then checked participants’ blood levels again last year and this year to see if their risk had dropped. As it turned out, residents of the treed areas had 13% lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker linked to heart disease, autoimmune diseases and inflammation, among other conditions.

“I would not have expected such a strong biomarker response, and this suggests that there may indeed be a causal link between the effects of trees on health,” said Peter James, director of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine.

It’s long been known that plants can improve our health and wellbeing, but this new study shows just how powerful they can be. Trees in particular can provide shade, protection from harsh sunlight and scorching heat, and improve air quality. They’re also likely to encourage people to exercise more, as it’s just so nice to be near trees.