Is living by the sea really better for our immune system? It’s a claim that researchers from Ghent University now intend to investigate. You might have thought claims like that would already have been thoroughly researched, but apparently not!
190 people, divided into three groups, will take part in the UGent study: people from the coast, people living inland and people living inland but who always stay at the coast during the summer.
It has long been claimed that living by the sea is healthier. Now Ghent University is going in search of scientific evidence to prove this. A month long 190 participants will have various samples taken. ‘Many studies on green environments have already been carried out, but now we also want to investigate the effect of the sea on health,’ researchers say.
Earlier, it was proved that air quality by the sea is better than inland. That was researched using lab tests with aerosols from splashing seawater. Scientists concluded the aerosols contain certain bacteria that train and maintain our immune system, making it stronger.
‘But no research has yet been done to know what effect sea air quality has on our bodies,’ says researcher Sofie Lambert. ‘We only know what sea air contains, but not what that air and the tiny particles of seawater we breathe in does to our bodies?’
Nose tests, blood tests and some paperwork
People aged between 18 and 50 are followed for a month. ‘We take 4 samples from the nose, similar to a Covid test, but we go less deep. Blood is also taken 4 times a month to see what effect the sea air has on the human body.’
‘We will find out what people inhale and its effect on their blood. Participants also have to fill in a questionnaire 3 times, for example, to let us know how much time they spend outside. After all, just because you live by the sea doesn't mean you spend a lot of time at the beach.’
3 groups surveyed
‘We’re surveying 3 groups. People who live by the sea, people who live inland on a permanent basis and people who live inland but spend time by the sea during the summer months’.
The tests will be carried out in September. Volunteers can still register with Ghent University. Information sessions are also planned in Ostend and Ghent.