Amish Children and Asthma: A Study

Carole Ober, who chairs human genetics at the University of Chicago, mentions that asthma affects around 8 to 10 percent of children nationwide. However, among Amish children, the rate is significantly lower, typically around 1 to 2 percent. Some Amish kids may have allergies, but, again, the incidence is much less prevalent compared to the broader population.

Researchers, including Ober, are exploring the unique aspects of Amish and similar traditional farming communities. They aim to develop treatments that could help young children, possibly utilizing probiotics or essential oils that incorporate elements found in farm dust. This could provide immune system stimulation that wards off allergic diseases.

Donata Vercelli, a professor at the University of Arizona, points out that certain traditional farming methods seem to offer remarkable protection against asthma and allergies, which remain virtually absent in these communities. Studies among these populations suggest that such protection is attainable.

The Amish, a Christian group, generally engage in traditional farming practices on single-family dairy farms, using horses for various tasks. As of 2024, approximately 395,000 Amish reside in the U.S., mainly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

Over the last hundred years, there’s been a notable rise in allergic conditions, including hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and eczema. The first documented allergic disease, hay fever, began to surge in Europe and North America by the 1900s. Pediatric asthma cases soared in the 1960s, and since the 1990s, there’s been an increase in food allergies, like those to cow’s milk and peanuts. Factors such as urbanization, air pollution, changes in diet, and a more indoor lifestyle are often cited as contributing influences.

The “hygiene hypothesis,” introduced by immunologist David Strachan in 1989, posits that early exposure to microbes helps protect against allergic diseases by fostering immune system development. He observed that children in larger families had lower instances of hay fever and eczema, pondering whether interactions with older siblings might offer protective benefits.

Subsequent research has gathered evidence supporting this hypothesis, noting that children with pets typically have lower rates of asthma and allergies. Growing up on a farm is suggested to be even more advantageous. Interestingly, hay fever was once labeled an “aristocratic disease,” primarily affecting upper-class individuals, while farmers appeared to be largely unaffected.

This “farm effect” has been validated through studies in agricultural populations globally, but the most pronounced results seem to be from the Amish. A study involving 60 Amish schoolchildren indicated their asthma rates were four times lower than those of the Hutterites, another U.S. farming community with similar backgrounds. The incidence of allergic sensitization was also significantly higher in the Hutterite group. Researchers ruled out a genetic explanation; the difference appeared, instead, to be linked to exposure to animals and barns during early childhood.

Ober observes that Hutterite children and their mothers generally avoid animal barns until around age 12, while Amish kids frequently enter barns and interact with animals from an early age. Analyzing dust from both communities revealed that Amish homes contained almost seven times more microbial material. Experiments showed that mice exposed to Amish dust exhibited significantly reduced asthma symptoms when confronted with allergens, unlike those exposed to Hutterite dust.

Currently, researchers like Ober and Vercelli are pinpointing the protective components in Amish dust that could combat allergic asthma. Their recent analysis identified proteins that function like delivery vehicles, transporting beneficial molecules produced by microbes and plants. These proteins seem to create a protective environment in the respiratory tract, mitigating inflammation.

Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo, director at the University of Rochester Medical Center, suggests that the focus is shifting from hygiene to understanding the role of beneficial microbes. During a baby’s early life, the immune system is rapidly developing and can be influenced by environmental factors, particularly beneficial bacteria. Some experts argue that exposing young children to these bacteria might help shape their immune responses, ultimately lowering allergy risks later in life. Farm dust is teeming with harmless bacteria that can effectively train the immune system.

A 2021 study by Järvinen-Seppo revealed that 65 infants from the Old Order Mennonite community in New York had higher rates of beneficial bacteria in their guts compared to 39 urban infants from Rochester. The Mennonites lead a traditional lifestyle similar to the Amish, and the findings suggest that their bacterial colonization rates are much healthier than those in urban settings, paralleling trends in autoimmune and allergic diseases.

Experts believe that any future treatments drawn from these findings could have immense impacts on preventing allergies, affecting millions globally and improving quality of life.

“I doubt we can provide every family a cow,” Vercelli remarks, “but we’re learning from these traditional environments the substances and exposures that are beneficial. Once identified, creating protective measures should be entirely feasible.”