The epidemiological paper noted here shows that Amish life expectancy compares favorably with that of the surrounding population of the United States. While lifestyle choices for the Amish differ in many ways from the general population, their greater level of physical activity is an obvious point of focus. The dose-response curve for physical activity is fairly well characterized, and suggests that ever greater benefits to health and life expectancy continue to accrue up to twice or more the presently recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The health of populations like the Amish and remaining hunter-gatherers may be examples of this effect in action.
This study examines differences in the longevity of Amish men compared to the men within the general population of the United States. Data for this analysis comes from the 1965 Ohio Amish directory, specifically the birth and death dates of men from the Holmes County settlement. Amish men's longevity is compared with the white men of Ohio based on life tables published online by the Social Security Administration.
Amish men born between 1895 and 1934 who lived past their twenty-fifth birthday had an averagelifespan of 76.3 years, compared with the white men of Ohio of the same age category, who hadan average lifespan of 71.3 years, for a difference of five years. When the findings are considered with published research on Amish work practices, we concluded that the remarkable longevity of Amish men might be attributed to their exceptional level of physical activity.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1...jpac.v5i2.10378
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