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.
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Contributing factors to heart disease are leading causes of death in the U.S. More than 40% of Hispanic adults are obese, according to the AHA’s statistics update, released in January. Data through 2019 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about 12% of adult Latinos were diagnosed with diabetes.
Dr. Monik Jimenez, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, notes this line of work reveals how the human body reflects environmental, nutritional, and social changes, including stress and intergenerational differences, among people living in different countries.
Li said this study reaffirms the importance of including healthy plant-based foods in Latino diets for optimal health. Previous research has shown that a diet rich in whole plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, has many benefits.
“What people eat is important, and that’s one of the aspects that we know can change markedly depending on how long a person has lived in the U.S. and their increased consumption of a Westernized diet, such as processed foods,” Jimenez added.
Other research suggests Latinos’ diets deteriorate with migration to the U.S. However, there is no conclusive evidence of the reasons. Li and Jimenez agree that more research is needed to fully understand the reasons for dietary changes among Hispanics.
“Latino” refers to Latin America, including Brazil, while “Hispanic” applies to Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain and Equatorial Guinea.
For some in the U.S., “Hispanic” is the preferred term, as it emphasizes the Spanish language and Latin America’s colonial roots. Others prefer “Latino” because they consider it a more inclusive term that encompasses people from different cultural backgrounds within Latin America.
There are several popular Latin American dishes in the U.S., such as tamales, arepas, tacos, ceviche, empanadas, pupusas, churrasco, churros and feijoada. Latin people enjoy flavors and tastes from different countries.
However, most young people of Latino descent prefer junk food. Some adverse effects are obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol and triglycerides, depression, anxiety, and other emotional disorders. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
✅ With information from the American Heart Association News.
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