Amish health secrets have only recently caught the attention of people, when a study came out that Amish children living in a community in Indiana had the lowest incidence of allergies, even lower compared to their popular European counterparts who used to hold the distinction.
Amish health secrets have to do with their lifestyle
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers conducted a study on a similar group of people called the Hutterites that shared the same ancestral origins as the Amish, but were not found to have the same health disposition as the Amish.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson, where they were looking for a suitable comparison for the Amish and they found the Hutterites and began to study their differences and unique health traits.
Farming practice?
Initial findings of the tests point to the farming practices of both the Amish and Hutterites, but the distinction came with the Amish having small farms and their livestock dwelling and barns were located right beside their homes while the Hutterites separated their dwellings far from their farms.
The proximity of the Amish’s farms with their shelter exposes them to more microbes into their homes which the researchers found that microbe population in Amish homes were six times more than those of the Hutterites.
Allergies and asthma
During the study, the researchers found that 5% of Amish children has asthma, while the Hutterites had 21%. The immune system of Amish children also more enhanced compared to the Hutterites.
The Hutterite children had more white blood cells called eosinophils which are linked to allergies, while the Amish had more of the type called neutrophils, which are known to repel microbes in the bloodstream.
The Amish children were also more exposed to livestock and cattle compared to the Hutterites, which may have served to strengthen their immune systems by creating more antibodies against a number of disease –causing microbes.
What’s more, the gene profile of the Amish children showed different gene expressions that signals restraint instead of aggression, compared to the Hutterite children.
Researchers agree that even while the tests only covered 30 participants from each community, they hope to further press on with more tests to see a more defined picture of their immunology and outlook in life.
The post Amish Health Secrets May Be Tied To Their Lifestyle appeared first on NUTRITION CLUB CANADA.
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