The Amish paradox

January 13, 2004

Just fanning the flames a bit... :-).... Enjoy.... Dedy

~~~~

Despite a high-calorie diet, an Old Order community's intensely physical

lifestyle produces a strikingly low rate of obesity. It's a message for the

modern world.

~~~~

Forget the standard-issue health and fitness resolutions that include joining a

gym, going to yoga and trading meatball subs for white-meat turkey. It may just

be that the best way to get in shape is to plow the back 40, toss a few bales of

hay and wash buckets of wet clothes by hand.

Call it the Amish paradox. An exercise science professor has discovered that a

pocket of Old Order Amish folks in Ontario, Canada, has stunningly low obesity

levels, despite a diet high in fat, calories and refined sugar - exactly the

stuff doctors tell us not to eat.

They're at a paltry 4% obesity rate, compared to a whopping 31% in the general

U.S. population, which, as we all know, is getting fatter by the minute. This

group of Amish manages to keep its overweight levels low

despite a diet that includes meat, potatoes, gravy, cakes, pies and eggs. So

what's their secret? Exercise, people. Exercise.

For starters, of the 98 Amish pedometer-wearing adults surveyed over a week, men

averaged about 18,000 steps a day, women about 14,000. Most Americans do not

come anywhere close to that, struggling to get in the recommended 10,000 steps a

day.

Amish men spent about 10 hours a week doing vigorous activities, women about 3

1/2 hours (heavy lifting, shoveling or digging, shoeing horses, tossing straw

bales). Men averaged 43 hours of moderate activity a week, women about 39 hours

(gardening, feeding farm animals, doing laundry). We feel virtuous if we manage

to eke out half an hour a day on the StairMaster.

We know, of course, that the Industrial Revolution caused us to evolve from an

agrarian society to a techno world. But these statistics show just how far we've

fallen from a naturally active lifestyle to one in which eight hours of work is

often spent sitting in front of a computer - and what little leisure time we

have is frittered away eating cheese curls while watching " The Bachelor. "

Lead researcher R. Bassett Jr., professor of exercise science at the

University of Tennessee, conducted the study to look at changes in physical

activity from a historical perspective. His findings were published this month

in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, a journal of the American College of

Sports Medicine.

He chose this population of Amish for their adherence to a physically demanding

farming lifestyle and rejection of things technical, such as automobiles and

electricity. They are something of an artifact of how we lived 150 years ago.

Higher rates of obesity exist in other North American Amish communities that

have moved away from farming and segued into less strenuous occupations such as

woodworking and quilting, according to the study. Amish men in Holmes County,

Ohio, for example, had rates of obesity similar to non-Amish men; Amish women

actually had higher rates, attributed to multiple pregnancies, diet and greater

acceptance of overweight physiques.

The findings of the Old Order Amish, Bassett believes, serve to put our current

slothful lives in perspective. " It can provide a sense of what we ought to be

doing, " he says. " It's a little ridiculous - we drive to work,

then go to the gym to walk on a treadmill. We go to great lengths to remove

activity from our daily lives, and then we go to great lengths to put it back

in. The Amish have done a better job than anybody of consciously thinking what

impact technology will have on their lives. "

The study presents a dim ray of hope in a sea of bad news about the country's

climbing obesity rates. But there's a big reality check here - the vast majority

of people can't possibly replicate the way the Amish live.

" People aren't going to go out and start farming, " says L. Goran,

professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. " You

can't wind the clock back, but it does demonstrate the power of physical

activity in preventing obesity. "

This dichotomy between overweight Americans and trim Amish shows that our genes

haven't caught up to our diets and ways of living, according to Dr. Heber,

director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. " Our genes are perfectly

adapted to another lifestyle, because you need those fat calories to plow the

back 40, " he says. " I exercise an hour every day, but I can't eat whatever I

want. "

It's not just the exercise that separates us from the Amish. Heber points out

that their meals, for instance, don't consist of leftover pizza eaten while

standing up and talking on the phone. " We've lost a lot of things in our

multi-tasking lifestyle, " he says.

Bassett says the meals he ate with the Amish consisted of stick-to-your-ribs

foods such as pancakes, eggs, ham, cake and milk, but also fresh fruits and

vegetables at almost every noon and evening meal. According to the Center for

Nutrition Policy and Promotion, in 2000 only 28% of people were meeting the

suggested daily requirements for vegetables (three to five servings a day), and

just 17% for fruits (two to four servings a day). Snacking is practically

nonexistent, just three squares a day, although the Amish do sometimes eat at

fast-food restaurants when traveling.

Communities are small and structured to encourage walking, unlike today's

sprawling cities and towns that require cars or mass transit. Judith Stern, vice

president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Obesity Assn., says the modern

world is designed to make us more efficient, meaning we move less and get

fatter.

" We're not trying to re-create the Amish lifestyle, " she says, " but how do we

create an environment in which people are more active spontaneously? We often

don't have sidewalks in the suburbs. If you want to walk the stairs in a

building, they're usually dark and uninviting. "

And then there's the frustrating conundrum of leisure time. Remember how

technological advances such as computers were supposed to give us lots of it?

Between commuting to work and ferrying the kids to school and play dates, there

seems to be precious little of it, despite the fact that we don't have to grow

our own food or chop wood for fuel. And when we do get a few minutes of

downtime, says Heber, we often spend it surfing the Internet instead of the

ocean.

" It always amazes me, " he adds, " that we don't have an hour to exercise, but we

do watch an average of four hours of TV a day. "

Though the Amish choose to exist largely apart from the rest of the population,

they are not unaware of how the other 99.9% lives. Even their infrequent

indulgence in fast foods is being examined.

Bassett recalls reading a story in an Amish community newsletter that questioned

the practice: " One of their bishops outlined the reasons why the fast-food

industry is not really consistent with Amish beliefs, because everything is

rush, rush, rush. "

Bassett remembers a comment from an Amish man who said that when venturing into

town, he can't help noticing the amount of overweight people. Says Bassett, " The

man said, 'Maybe they have it a little too easy.' They've definitely noticed the

same things we have, only from a different perspective. "

~~~

By Jeannine Stein, Times Staff Writer

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-amish12jan12,1,36919.story?coll=la-\

home-health

January 13, 2004

Last year I met up with a cousin at a funeral. She was heavier than

I remembered and said that she and her husband had both been

diagnosed as diabetic and are on medication.

She also told me that the company she works for takes an annual trip

to an Amish community and has a big, traditional dinner. It's got

lots of fat, from what she says, and they always eat a lot.

She said that usually, when she eats a really big dinner, she feels

bad the next day. But when they eat at the Amish community, she

feels just fine the next day.

She said that everything they serve was made on the farm, except the

salt and pepper.

> Just fanning the flames a bit... :-).... Enjoy.... Dedy

> ~~~~

> Despite a high-calorie diet, an Old Order community's intensely

physical lifestyle produces a strikingly low rate of obesity. It's a

message for the modern world.

> ~~~~

> Forget the standard-issue health and fitness resolutions that

include joining a gym, going to yoga and trading meatball subs for

white-meat turkey. It may just be that the best way to get in shape

is to plow the back 40, toss a few bales of hay and wash buckets of

wet clothes by hand.

>

> Call it the Amish paradox. An exercise science professor has

discovered that a pocket of Old Order Amish folks in Ontario, Canada,

has stunningly low obesity levels, despite a diet high in fat,

calories and refined sugar - exactly the stuff doctors tell us not to

eat.

>

January 13, 2004

That reminds me of the PBS series where the modern

folks went back to live as homesteaders ... one guy

lost 30 lbs ... REALLY hard labor!

I'm not sure it's fair to say this is a " normal " life

for humans though. Farm life is VERY hard compared

to a hunter-gatherer -- the neolithic folks probably

didn't get fat or get diabetes much, but they weren't

near as healthy as the paleos.

I also notice the lack of snacking and that they

eat lots of fruits and vegies. The French have a very

low rate of obesity also, without all the hard

work, but they also lack snacks.

-- Heidi

>Just fanning the flames a bit... :-).... Enjoy.... Dedy

>~~~~

>Despite a high-calorie diet, an Old Order community's intensely physical

lifestyle produces a strikingly low rate of obesity. It's a message for the

modern world.

January 13, 2004

If you can't make it in your own kitchen don't eat it.

I can buy a cow, milk her, let the cream rise, skim it and make butter. But

there is no way on this green earth that I can make margarine in my kitchen.

Another thing that needs to be done is to separate the " fats " instead of

dumping them into one big kettle. Saturated animal fats, as we all know, are

far superior to the vegetable fats (olive, coconut and palm oils being the

exception) that are promoted as being so healthy. When articles say that we

eat too much fat they need to say what kind of fat.

Judith Alta

-----Original Message-----

Last year I met up with a cousin at a funeral. She was heavier than

I remembered and said that she and her husband had both been

diagnosed as diabetic and are on medication.

She also told me that the company she works for takes an annual trip

to an Amish community and has a big, traditional dinner. It's got

lots of fat, from what she says, and they always eat a lot.

She said that usually, when she eats a really big dinner, she feels

bad the next day. But when they eat at the Amish community, she

feels just fine the next day.

She said that everything they serve was made on the farm, except the

salt and pepper.

January 13, 2004

When they talk fat they just refer to fat in general except those lovely

heart healthy cholesterol lowering margarines :-)

Oh and remember. Animal fat is THE main reason for heart disease in todays

society.

I gotta say back in the 1800's obesity and heart attacks musta been rampant

:-)

I mean with all these healthy oils and low fat stuff we eat now I mean...

hehehe

_____

From: Judith Alta [mailto:jaltak@...]

Sent: Wednesday, 14 January 2004 7:16 AM

Subject: RE: Re: The Amish paradox

If you can't make it in your own kitchen don't eat it.

I can buy a cow, milk her, let the cream rise, skim it and make butter. But

there is no way on this green earth that I can make margarine in my kitchen.

Another thing that needs to be done is to separate the " fats " instead of

dumping them into one big kettle. Saturated animal fats, as we all know, are

far superior to the vegetable fats (olive, coconut and palm oils being the

exception) that are promoted as being so healthy. When articles say that we

eat too much fat they need to say what kind of fat.

Judith Alta

-----Original Message-----

Last year I met up with a cousin at a funeral. She was heavier than

I remembered and said that she and her husband had both been

diagnosed as diabetic and are on medication.

She also told me that the company she works for takes an annual trip

to an Amish community and has a big, traditional dinner. It's got

lots of fat, from what she says, and they always eat a lot.

She said that usually, when she eats a really big dinner, she feels

bad the next day. But when they eat at the Amish community, she

feels just fine the next day.

She said that everything they serve was made on the farm, except the

salt and pepper.

January 13, 2004

Exactly!

And the worse part is the cause of most, if not all, of our miseries was

known before the low-fat diet ever started being pushed.

Tremendous amounts of money have been wasted trying to prove it works. And

almost all studies have failed. The most they can say is the diet lowered

cholesterol. No matter that as many or more people died in the test groups

than in the control groups.

Judith Alta

-----Original Message-----

When they talk fat they just refer to fat in general except those lovely

heart healthy cholesterol lowering margarines :-)

Oh and remember. Animal fat is THE main reason for heart disease in todays

society.

I gotta say back in the 1800's obesity and heart attacks musta been rampant

:-)

I mean with all these healthy oils and low fat stuff we eat now I mean...

hehehe

January 13, 2004

Dedy,

Bingo! No electricity... as I thought they'd live too like the U.S.. There's

no long, artificial days. Their hormone levels are in natural hibernation

mode for winter, as they should be. They've become insulin resistant like

bears during the growing season and long, summer days and deal with it

diabetes free just like a bear.

> Just fanning the flames a bit... :-).... Enjoy.... Dedy

> He chose this population of Amish for their adherence to a physically

demanding farming lifestyle and rejection of things technical, such as

automobiles and electricity. They are something of an artifact of how we

lived 150 years ago.

Wanita

January 13, 2004

What times would u think they go to sleep and rise. And the times they would

eat ?

_____

From: Wanita Sears [mailto:wanitawa@...]

Sent: Wednesday, 14 January 2004 9:03 AM

Subject: Re: The Amish paradox

Dedy,

Bingo! No electricity... as I thought they'd live too like the U.S.. There's

no long, artificial days. Their hormone levels are in natural hibernation

mode for winter, as they should be. They've become insulin resistant like

bears during the growing season and long, summer days and deal with it

diabetes free just like a bear.

> Just fanning the flames a bit... :-).... Enjoy.... Dedy

> He chose this population of Amish for their adherence to a physically

demanding farming lifestyle and rejection of things technical, such as

automobiles and electricity. They are something of an artifact of how we

lived 150 years ago.

Wanita

January 13, 2004

,

The Amish do use artificial lighting like oil lamps. www.lehmans.com is an

Amish supply store. You'll be able to see all the non electric items Amish

use for everything there. Don't know actual times they'd go to sleep and

rise. As a New Englander myself brought up with dinner at 5 PM my guess is

that would be about that time in winter or little earlier as that's dark.

Latest bedtime would be 9PM and you'd wake up naturally with daylight about

6AM in winter. Lights Out! puts best hormone producing, immune system

boosting sleep at 9 1/2 hours in winter. Less than 7 throws me off. With 8

am up before alarm.

Wanita

Re: The Amish paradox

>

> Dedy,

>

> Bingo! No electricity... as I thought they'd live too like the U.S..

There's

> no long, artificial days. Their hormone levels are in natural hibernation

> mode for winter, as they should be. They've become insulin resistant like

> bears during the growing season and long, summer days and deal with it

> diabetes free just like a bear.

>

> > Just fanning the flames a bit... :-).... Enjoy.... Dedy

>

> > He chose this population of Amish for their adherence to a physically

> demanding farming lifestyle and rejection of things technical, such as

> automobiles and electricity. They are something of an artifact of how we

> lived 150 years ago.

>

> Wanita

>

January 13, 2004

I might try some earlier nights. I been waking up at like 4:30 5am lately (

its really hot here )

I mnight try some 9pm time slots ( usually im around 10 to 10:30 )

See hwo I feel ( lately I been waking up still tired )

Thanks fro the extra info on the amish. :-)

_____

From: Wanita Sears [mailto:wanitawa@...]

Sent: Wednesday, 14 January 2004 9:52 AM