Are the Amish less likely to develop asthma?
According to a new study, there might be something about the Amish lifestyle that can protect a person from developing asthma symptoms. This issue was explored by researchers at Franklin & Marshall College with the report expected to be published in the American Thoracic Society Journal sometime within the next year.
The researchers conducted their study using data that was first collected by the Center for Opinion Research on the general health of Amish women back in 2004 and 2005. During this period, nearly 300 Amish women were interviewed in person and over 2,000 non-Amish women from Central Pennsylvania were interviewed by phone.
The study that was dedicated to asthma specifically was prompted when the researchers from Franklin & Marshall wanted to look at the information that was collected in closer detail. The information was presented to the American Thoracic Society at a conference in San Diego this past May after the study was first completed.
According to biology professor Kirk Miller, one of the leads in this study, living on farms and coming from large families are two factors that are considered protective against asthma, as people are exposed to more germs and other microbes earlier in life, thus being able to develop a stronger immune system from an early age.
Even taking this information into account, there was something about the Amish lifestyle that offered even more protection. According to Miller, even non-Amish women who either lived on farms or had large families still had a higher number of asthma diagnoses than Amish women. Miller said it is possible that there are genetic factors involved.
Because the amount of women included in the initial survey was relatively small, Miller said that he would like to explore his theory in even greater detail. If you are interested in reducing your own asthma risks, be sure to invest in a home air purifier today from US Air Purifiers Direct 2U.