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Helsinki alert of biodiversity and health

cwf-fcf.org > English > News & Media > Releases > 2015
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Press Release

May 1, 2015

“Urban living in built, asphalt-covered environments with little green space, together with the use of processed water and food, may not provide us with the broad microbial stimulation necessary for the development of a balanced immune function.”

Helsinki alert of biodiversity and health          
von Hertzen L, et al. Ann Med. 2015.          

 

"The Helsinki Alert attributed to this group of prominent medical professionals, including respected Canadian immunologist and Order of Canada member Dr. John Bienenstock, makes it abundantly clear that the human species is symbiotically tied to nature, and urban living is making humanity sick on a microbial level. The messages coming from organizations like ours are so important. We continue to encourage Canadians across this country, in all provinces and territories, to look at our natural spaces and connect and reconnect at every opportunity. We have the best country on earth. We must preserve it for our children and future generations to come. This research shows there is a bigger issue at play. It shows that humanity is affected by the lack of exposure to nature. This will become an increasing problem if the world is to survive. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is the leading organization in Canada promoting this information and our mission is to take this message to all Canadians."

Dr. J Bernard Gosevitz
Quote from Bernard Gozevitz, MD, CCFP
CWF Foundation Chair

Most people in the world live in cities; the Helsinki report confirms that this disconnection from nature is literally making humanity sick. It was written and released by a collection of top medical professionals including Dr. John Bienenstock, Member of the Order of Canada and famed immunologist.

The above is an excerpt from the Helsinki Alert of Biodiversity and Health, a report released by the international medical community that confirms the vital connection between nature and human health, a message that has been at the core of Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) programs for more than 50 years.

According to the report, the loss of habitat due to urbanization has caused a massive loss of biodiversity and this loss of biodiversity impacts our health. Exposure to natural environments enhances physical and mental health as well as cognitive functions. Our disconnection from nearby nature is a prime reason why allergies, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and even some forms of cancer have become epidemics. The same is true for mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

Built environments, such as rubber based playground materials so common in Canada, do not provide us with the necessary microbes to sustain healthy lifestyles. Early childhood exposure to natural environments is a critical part of ensuring lifelong healthy lifestyles. Canadian Wildlife Federation programs for teenagers, like Wild Outside, ensure that the microbes necessary for human health remain in the body over the course of one’s life by encouraging participants to live healthy lifestyles into adulthood.

In response to the report, the Canadian Wildlife Federation will continue to follow its strategic mission to educate Canadians on the importance of connecting to our natural world. Since 1962 CWF has taken a lead role in ensuring that Canadians have a healthy appreciation of our wildlife and natural spaces. We encourage people to use the green spaces close to where they live: ravines in Toronto, the River Valley in Edmonton, Mount Royal Park in Montreal, Nose Hill Park in Calgary or Stanley Park in Vancouver are great examples of this.

People can create nature connection opportunities that allow children to interact and engage natural settings. One easy and fun way to do that is through our CWF Wild Family Nature Clubs. National Health and Nature Programs like this are needed to increase the public awareness of nature’s health effects and to affect attitudes and orientation. It is especially important to target children and teenagers; both the environment and the youngsters would benefit. Politicians and stakeholders in urban planning must become more aware about the effects of natural environments on human health. Elements of country life should be moved to cities, including measures that increase the diversity of microbiota.

CWF will be issuing further statements around this report in the coming days. To view the full report, click here: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07853890.2015.1010226.

The Organizations that have signed off on the Helsinki Alert

  • Yrj ö Jahnsson Foundation, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Center for the Genetics of Host Defence, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas, USA,
  • Department of Pathology, Brain-Body Institute, McMaster University Ontario, Hamilton, Canada,
  • New York University Langone Medical Center, University of New York, New York, USA,
  • Universit é catholique de Louvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, WELBIO, Brussels, Belgium,
  • Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Helsinki University and Helsinki University Hospital, Clinic of Gastroenterology, Finland,
  • Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Link ö ping, Link ö ping, Sweden,
  • Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden,
  • Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden,
  • Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,
  • Children ’ s Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Lund, Malm ö , Sweden,
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark,
  • Department of Pediatric Allergy and Asthma at the Doctor von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany,
  • University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Molecular Diagnostics, Philipps University Marburg, Germany,
  • Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, United Kingdom,
  • VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, Espoo, Finland, 22 National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland,
  • Lymphocyte signalling and development laboratory, Babraham Institute Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom,
  • RPU Immunobiology, Department of Bacteriology & Immunology, and Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Authors of the Helsinki Alert
    links, awards, and qualifications

    Leena von Hertzen
    Primary Author
    https://tuhat.halvi.helsinki.fi/portal/en/persons/leena-von-hertzen(d1e56828-06df-4cc7-91e1-60311b3f23be)/publications.html

    Dr. John Bienenstock
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bienenstock
    Royal College of Physicians (UK).
    Order of Canada
    Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

    Dr Bruce Beutler
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Beutler
    Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2011, shared with Jules A. Hoffmann and Ralph M. Steinman) [2]

    Dr. Martin J Blaser
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_J._Blaser
    Past President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
    2015, TIME 100 Most Influential People in the world.

    Dr. Patrice D Cani
    http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patrice_Cani

    Dr. Johan Eriksson
    http://research.med.helsinki.fi/obesity/Eriksson/

    Professor Martti Färkkilä
    http://www.gastroenterologiayhdistys.fi/@Bin/182664/Max+Siurala+Award+2014+cv+prof+Martti+F%C3%A4rkkil%C3%A4.pdf

    Dr. Tari Haahtela
    http://www.waojournal.org/content/6/1/3
    Author of 'The biodiversity hypothesis and allergic disease: world allergy organization position statement'

    Dr Ilkka Hanski
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilkka_Hanski
    Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
    National Academy of Sciences
    One of the most cited Finnish scientists

    Dr Maria C. Jenmalm
    http://www.hu.liu.se/ike/forskning/klinisk-immunologi/jenmalm-maria/Maria-Jenmalm?l=en

    Dr Juha Kere
    http://ki.se/en/people/jukere
    http://ki.se/en/about/the-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine
    Past chief physician of medical genetics at University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital
    Now at the Karolinska Institute which is responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

    Dr. Mikael Knip
    http://research.med.helsinki.fi/obesity/Knip/default.html
    diabetes focus

    Dr Kimmo Kontula
    University of Helsinki
    http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v11/n2/full/5200936a.html

    Dr Markku Koskenvuo
    University of Helsinki
    https://wiki.helsinki.fi/display/twineng/Twinstudy

    Dr Charlotte Ling
    Lecturer at the Lund University and Principal investigator of the Epigenetics and Diabetes Unit at the Lund University Diabetes Centre (LUDC), Sweden

    Dr Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen
    http://bmi.ku.dk/english/research/Endocrinology_Research_Section/immuno_endocrinology/group_members/cv-TMPO_March_2014.pdf
    Adjunct professor in Immunodiabetology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden the Karolinska Institute is responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

    Dr Erika von Mutius
    http://www.academia-net.org/profil/prof-dr-dr-h-c-erika-von-mutius/1134098
    2013 Leibniz Prize the most important German research prize of 2.5 million Euros

    Dr Mika J. Mäkelä
    Sweden, Asthma
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=M%C3%A4kel%C3%A4%20MJ%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23643487

    Dr Tiina Paunio
    http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tiina_Paunio
    National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland

    Dr Göran Pershagen
    http://ki.se/en/people/gorper
    Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), The Karolinska Institute is responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

    Dr Harald Renz
    http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harald_Renz
    http://www.efraim-online.com/p3.html
    General Secretary of the National Allergy Society Germany (DGAKI)

    Dr Graham Rook
    The Hygiene Hypothesis and Darwinian Medicine
    The mechanism of the health benefit derived from green spaces
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24154724
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis
    http://www.grahamrook.net/

    Dr Maria Saarela
    https://www.linkedin.com/pub/maria-saarela/17/1a1/558
    University of Helsinki

    Dr Outi Vaarala
    MD, PhD, Professor of pediatric immunology
    Vice President, Head of Translational Science
    AstraZeneca - Respiratory and Inflammation iMED (R&I iMED)
    http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Outi_Vaarala/citations

    Marc Veldhoen
    http://www.babraham.ac.uk/our-research/lymphocyte/marc-veldhoen

    Dr Willem M. de Vos
    https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=SbTINjMAAAAJ
    http://f1000.com/prime/thefaculty/member/989115661374012?referrer=GOOGLE
    Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
    Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Nordic Network of Excellence Food, Nutrition and Health
    Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, Cork Ireland
    Academy Professor at Helsinki University

    Dr. John Bienenstock"Contact with biodiverse natural environments in our cities is key to the maintenance of the broad community of microbiota required to promote a healthy immune system and thus prevent chronic inflammatory diseases."
    Quote from Dr. John Bienenstock. Signatory on the Helsinki Alert, Member of the Order of Canada.



    Scott D. Sampson "Children need abundant contact with nearby nature, and they aren't getting it. This claim has just received additional strong support from a new study authored by a host of world experts. Not only is nature play critical for mental and physical fitness. It turns out to be equally crucial for staving off inflammatory diseases like allergies and asthma. The verdict is in, and the path forward is clear. It's time to turn the tide and get kids outdoors!"
    Scott D. Sampson, Ph.D., Vice President of Research & Collections, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Author: How to Raise a Wild Child




    Richard Louv "The prestigious Helsinki Alert is welcome news to a new nature movement that has been growing quickly over the last decade, a movement that recognizes the gifts of the natural world to body, mind and spirit -- for children and adults. Around the world, many pediatricians, pediatric occupational therapists, and other health professionals are already prescribing or recommending nature time for the families they serve. Educators are also taking action as well, as a growing body of evidence indicates students with access to green play areas, gardens and other natural elements learn better and reap measurably higher scores on standardized tests. Public health officials and urban designers are helping shape the movement to reduce our society’s nature-deficit disorder, as are millions of parents. The Children & Nature Network, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and many other organizations have made great strides in 2015; one of C&NN’s partnerships, with the National League of Cities (20,000 mayors and other urban officials) will help push this issue to the forefront of urban planning. A city that decides to be a great place for children and nature a a city that nurtures life itself – which helps every species, including humans. This isn’t a movement urging us back to nature, but forward -- to nature-rich cities that become engines of biodiveristy and human health, to a nature-rich future. "
    Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle, and chairman emeritus of the international Children & Nature Network.

WILD Family Nature Club

Families get connected to a fun world of outdoor exploring - and to other families doing the same - via CWF's WILD Family Nature Club.

Read More
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