Compared to Latinos born in other countries, U.S.-born Latinos are prone to more diseases. Studies presented at the American Heart Association conference in Boston revealed that an unfavorable blood profile of U.S.-born Latinos may be linked to obesity, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and asthma. The results are tentative until the complete research is published.
According to researcher Yang Li from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, U.S.-born Latinos are at higher risk for diet, lifestyle, and environmental-related illnesses.
“The difference in metabolic status between U.S.-born and non-U.S.-born Latinos is mainly due to Westernized food,” Li said.
Li and colleagues studied the metabolites of 7,119 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study, the biggest and most representative research of the fast-growing population with cultural roots in Latin America and the Caribbean.
✔️ According to 2020 census data, 62 million Latinos represent 18.7% of the U.S. population.
A metabolomics profile looks at various measurable factors, like blood and body fluids biomarkers, to determine a person’s health status and risk of chronic diseases.
The research lasted six years, from when participants’ blood was collected to the development of the disease.
U.S.-born Latinos had higher levels of metabolites associated with a 22% higher risk of diabetes; a 16% higher risk of severe obesity; a 15% higher risk of chronic liver disease; and a 42% higher risk of asthma. Higher metabolites in foreign-born Latinos were associated with a lower risk of these diseases.
