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