The reasons Amish have dramatically lower allergy rates than the rest of the world may point to a global cure

The Amish still use horses and buggies for transportation. 
(Photo by Crystal Tubbens, Unsplash)

 

Examining why Amish children and adults have dramatically lower allergy rates when compared to the national average is allowing scientists to explore the origins of allergic protections and develop a cure for the global surge in allergies over the past century.

"Despite the increasing rate of allergic diseases, both in industrialized and in developing countries, the Amish remain exceptionally — and bafflingly — resistant. Only 7% of Amish children had a positive response to one or more common allergens in a skin prick test, compared with more than half of the general U.S. population," reports Meeri Kim of The Washington Post. 

Amish Americans are Christians who embrace a more simplified lifestyle that often excludes modern conveniences and technology. Kim reports, "Many live on single-family dairy farms — and use horses for fieldwork and transportation. As of 2024, around 395,000 Amish live in the United States, concentrated mostly in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana."

A team of human genetics researchers at the University of Chicago are examining what prevents Amish children from forming allergies "in the hopes of developing a protective treatment that could be given to young children," Kim explains. "For instance, a probiotic or essential oil that contains substances found in farm dust, such as microbes and the molecules they produce, could stimulate children’s immune systems in a way that prevents allergic disease."

Since the beginning of the 1900s, the number of people to develop allergies, "including hay fever (allergic rhinitis), asthma, food allergies and eczema — has increased dramatically," Kim explains. "The 1960s saw a sharp increase in the prevalence of pediatric asthma, a condition in which the airways tighten when breathing in an allergen." In more developed countries, food allergies to peanuts, eggs and cow's milk have also increased. 

While scientists have considered several theories on why Amish children have far few allergies, the University of Chicago researchers are "beginning to identify the protective agents in Amish dust that prevent allergic asthma," Kim reports. Researchers think developing an allergy preventative for children based on the proteins found in Amish barn dust could dramatically reduce the ever-increasing rate of global allergies.