Amish men live longer

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Study scope and limitations

  • Commenters highlight that the paper uses historical cohorts of men born 1895–1934, with deaths recorded around 1965.
  • The longevity gap shrinks over time: ~10 years for the earliest cohort down to ~4 years for the latest.
  • Several argue the sample is small (~1,500 Amish men across four cohorts) and that stronger demographic studies exist; they see this as interesting but “marginal” evidence.
  • Others note confounders like the Great Depression and world wars affecting non-Amish male mortality, especially in Europe.

Diet, raw milk, and nutrition

  • Many attribute the longevity difference to fewer processed foods, more whole/“natural” foods, and high physical activity.
  • There’s a long subthread on raw milk:
    • One side calls raw dairy dangerous “poison,” pointing to historical outbreaks and modern data.
    • Others counter that humans consumed raw milk for millennia, risk is context-dependent (farm vs factory), and that the absolute risk to healthy adults is low.
  • Debate extends to whether humans are “supposed” to drink cow’s milk at all, with conflicting claims about health effects (liver fat, immunoglobulins, lactose, etc.) and links to studies showing both harms and benefits.

Lifestyle, technology, and community

  • Amish advantages discussed: constant manual labor, little to no screen time, more time outdoors, cohesive family/social networks, and selective adoption of technology (e.g., skepticism about farm chemicals).
  • Some point out Amish diets are heavy in carbs, fats, and sweets; they argue this would be unhealthy without the high-activity lifestyle.

Comparisons: EU, Hutterites, monks, eunuchs

  • Some note EU male life expectancy now exceeds modern Amish estimates, implying you can get better longevity without an 1800s-style life, though others question if this holds for the historical cohorts studied.
  • A Hutterite study is cited: major differences vs surrounding populations seem driven by lower smoking and STDs (lung and cervical cancer).
  • Monks and eunuchs are mentioned as other groups with potentially longer lifespans, though evidence and mechanisms (hormones vs lifestyle vs social role) are debated.

Healthcare systems, obesity, and prevention

  • Several argue US–EU life expectancy gaps stem more from obesity, hypertension, and chronic disease than from acute medical care access.
  • There’s disagreement over how much a “healthcare system” should include prevention, education, regulation (e.g., HFCS), and social policy.
  • GLP‑1 drugs (e.g., Ozempic) are discussed as lifespan-extending via weight and diabetes control, with some caution about unknown long-term effects.