06/01/2026
This "perfectly healthy Amish" story is one myth that has survived this long because it fits a narrative. But we all know it’s a lie.
Amish people get cancer, diabetes, autism, and other medical conditions just like everyone else. They simply have some lifestyle advantages that improve their health outcomes.
Let’s even look at these claims one after another.
1. Autism and ADHD exist in Amish communities.
Research has identified autism among Amish children. Although, the rates may appear lower than in the general population, but that doesn't mean autism is absent. It is because they have limited access to specialists and lower rates of formal diagnosis which most certainly contribute to underreporting.
2. Cancer is not rare among the Amish.
Cancer also occurs in Amish populations just as it does elsewhere. Although some studies have found lower rates of certain cancers among the Amish, but the most likely explanations are lifestyle factors such as very low smoking rates, limited alcohol consumption, and high levels of physical activity, but certainly not a lack of vaccines.
3. Diabetes exists too.
Granted, diabetes is less common among the Amish than in the broader population, but it is far from nonexistent. Their lower rates are largely explained by lower obesity levels and more physically active lifestyles. Again, it has nothing to do with vaccines.
4. The Amish are not universally unvaccinated.
This is one claim I have debunked over and over again on this page. Multiple studies have found that many Amish families accept at least some vaccines, and a substantial proportion fully vaccinate their children. The Amish are not the vaccine-free population that internet memes portray them to be.
The Amish do appear to experience lower rates of some chronic diseases, yes. But that is most plausibly linked to their lifestyle - more physical labor, less smoking, less alcohol use, stronger community ties, and lower obesity rates - all of which have nothing to do with vaccines uptake.
Claims like this only thrive amongst people looking to push an agenda against vaccines, but the evidence totally contradict the claim that avoiding vaccines is the secret to Amish health… Totally.