Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies, study finds

[ErikJ]

Allergy and asthma rates are also lower for kids raised with dogs or cats in their 1 years of life. But the Amish apparently much lower rates.

So next time you run into one of these damn helicopter moms with masked kids who says "Get that dog away from my child", (which I have run into) just tell them about this.

Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies, study finds
Published May 07, 2012
Reuters



Amish children raised on rural farms in northern Indiana suffer from asthma and allergies less often even than Swiss farm kids, a group known to be relatively free from allergies, according to a new study.
"The rates are very, very low," said Dr. Mark Holbreich, the study's lead author. "So there's something that we feel is even more protective in the Amish" than in European farming communities.
What it is about growing up on farms -- and Amish farms in particular -- that seems to prevent allergies remains unclear.
Researchers have long observed the so-called "farm effect" -- the low allergy and asthma rates found among kids raised on farms -- in central Europe, but less is known about the influence of growing up on North American farms.


The going theory is this early exposure to the diverse potential allergens and pathogens on a farm trains the immune system to recognize them, but not overreact to the harmless ones.

For instance, pregnant mothers or young children could be exposed to the mysterious factors that seem to protect farm kids as a preventive treatment, he explained.
"The goal is to try to find a way to prevent this allergy and asthma epidemic that western populations are facing," Holbreich said.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/07/amish-farm-kids-remarkably-immune-to-allergies-study-finds/#ixzz1uDiRvnzw

[TheWraith]

1. Yep. We've pretty much known that for decades.

Exposure to allergens in most cases provokes the body to react and develop immunity to them. Some people just don't listen, though.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. I was raised in a filthy unairconditioned house (hotter than hell) with a large hairy dog.

The dust and pollen swept through and it was awful. The temp at night was 90 in the summer because of the humidity. we had a couple of cats and an 80 pound collie who was a house dog who slept on her own sofa.
We also had severe pollution from oil refineries about five miles away.

No air filters at all and only an attic fan, which just makes it hotter, like a convection oven with a fan. There was no evaporative cooling b/c of the high humidity.

I finally got a small room air conditioner in high school, so I could at least sleep through the night.

So what happened? I had a runny nose all the way through school, but nobody seemed to take it seriously.

I'm still highly allergic to cats, dogs and dust and mold and pollen and all sorts of things. So the theory that exposure to lots of allergens when you are young will strengthen your immune system doesn't work, at least not in my case.

I also have an auto-immune disease, and I constantly have red eyes and a runny nose and break out when I am gardening from touching plants.

[provis99]

3. since the Amish originate from Switzerland, it's probably genetic.

[ErikJ]

4. Could be but both groups are farmers

so exposure to heavy allergens in early childhood still big factor.

[hedgehog]

5. Amish children also represent a limited gene pool!

[Ron Obvious]

6. What about auto-immune disorders?

I would suspect auto-immune disorder rates to be a lot lower for the same reason as well.

I've none some mothers who won't let you touch their babies unless you first wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap. Modern paranoia.

[LeftishBrit]

7. I suspect that it may be more a combination of genetics and relatively low exposure to pollutants.

After all, in the recent past and possibly still, people with chest trouble, who could afford to do so, were often advised to take trips to Switzerland and spend time in the Swiss mountain air. Partly the altitude, but also the relatively clean air in such places. Asthma and respiratory allergies do seem more common in towns where people are exposed to lots of pollution.