Gadgets, Wood Chopping and the Amish

The February 26, 2018 edition of Time’s article “What Can We Learn from Amish People?” spurred interest. These devout people [with Swiss Anabaptist origins; related but distinct from Mennonite churches] live primarily in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. They continue to flourish somehow without such electronic gadgets- as TVs, computers, cell phones etc. In the 1900s, regular average life expectancy in our country was 47. However, the Amish had a life expectancy greater than 70. A century later, most of us have caught up to this group. Further, between 1992 and 2017 this population of people increased by 149% while the rest of the US population increased by 23%. Fitted with the pedometers, these religious folks are about as six times as active as the average American. Not only do they take more steps, they also lift, chop, saw wood and plant their crops. It has been reported, that these individuals have an obesity rate of about 4% compared to 36% for the rest of us. They also have lower tobacco-related cancers, and other cancers. Some Amish have the, PA I gene, which is associated with an average life span of 10% longer than people without this particular gene. These fortunate subjects have 10% longer telomeres [the ends of the chromosomes].All good for aging. Another advantage is that the elderly are cared for at home by relatives. They are not hustled off to some location of strangers being cared for by minimum wage employees. Not surprising, the Amish people also have significantly, by half, lower suicide rates. However, their diet is heavy on pancakes, eggs and sausage for breakfast and meat, potatoes, gravy and bread for dinner. As a result, the Amish have high rates of blood pressure and heart disease issues. This suggests that physical activity alone does not guarantee good health. It is been reported that neighbors, at times, have expressed discrimination, hostility by the throwing of stones and other objects at the Amish horse driven carriages. Yes, outside prejudices exist against this group. It would be interesting, to assess the degree of narcissism and group narcissism within this religious group to determine their prejudices. In conclusion, it would be prudent to see if changing their diet would increase their lifespan. They have mastered the keep moving.