Researchers say Mexican immigrants who exercise regularly, eat wholesome foods and live in tight-knit communities illustrate why Latinos live longer on average than non-Hispanic whites and blacks.
That lifestyle may extend lifespan, as noted in a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last month. It found Latinos in the United States live on average 80.6 years, compared with 78.1 years for non-Hispanic whites and 72.9 for non-Hispanic blacks.
Experts call it the "Latino health paradox." People usually live longer if they have high incomes, high education levels and greater access to health care. Latinos are on average poorer, less educated and less likely to visit doctors than most Americans -- yet they still enjoy longer lives.
The CDC report -- the first to examine Hispanic life expectancy in the United States -- confirmed what two university researchers have been saying since the mid-1980s.
David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Kyriakos Markides, a professor of aging at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, have found in repeated studies that Hispanics have lower rates of disease, including cancer, stroke and heart disease, the three leading causes of death in the United States.
Hayes-Bautista called for more research to pinpoint reasons for the paradox, but he said diet and exercise probably are among the factors, as is a strong sense of community and close family ties. Studies say these can lead to better physical health.
Markides' research has found that Latin American immigrants are significantly healthier than U.S.-born Latinos: "There is no doubt immigrants are driving this."
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. Latinos were born abroad.
Markides suggests that people who emigrate from their home country are typically healthier than those who do not. Legal immigrants must pass U.S. medical exams and illegal immigrants usually must take physically arduous journeys to cross the U.S. border. "They arrive healthier," he said. "They're the cream of the crop."
In addition, Latin American immigrants are less likely to drink, smoke, do drugs and contract sexual transmitted diseases than other Americans, Markides said.
But Latinos have a high rate of diabetes. Researchers believe Hispanics may have a genetic predisposition to the disease, Markides said. U.S.-born Latinos are more likely to have diabetes than immigrants because of higher obesity rates.
Elizabeth Arias, author of the life-expectancy report and a demographer with the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, said she has begun a study that will compare life-expectancy rates between Latino immigrants and U.S.-born residents.
The CDC had not released a report on Hispanic life expectancy until last month because of problems in how Hispanics were classified on death certificates, she said.
Similar problems have existed in classifying Asians, though Arias is doing research for an upcoming life-expectancy report on them. She said she expects to find they too have higher-than-average life expectancies, because many Asians were also born abroad and because Asians have higher-than-average incomes.
Dr. Mohamedali Patel of Lake Elsinore, Calif., said he's noticed for years that immigrants from Latin America tend to be healthier than other patients in his practice, which is about 80 percent Latino.
They are less prone to the stress that can lead to health problems, he said. "They don't live an aggressive type of life running after money or business. They live a more easy-going life, more laid-back and more family-oriented."
Immigrants are also more likely to accept physically demanding jobs that keep them in shape and to eat healthier food, he said. U.S.-born Latinos are typically like other Americans: They'd rather have an office job than pick grapes or cut grass under the hot sun.
amazingaro posted at 8:09 am on Tue, Nov 23, 2010.
what could it be that they have a handle on longevity? well my theory is they but the life out of everyone else. simple solution,they don,t let anyone else live,
hillstreet posted at 8:18 am on Tue, Nov 23, 2010.
Ouch! Bad news for the brown people haters! :-)
Mazz posted at 8:37 am on Tue, Nov 23, 2010.
This could be true of any "racial" group in the United States as long as they ate better and excercised more. Not just Latinos.
It takes a little effort to prepare a meal and sit down with your family. The problem is the US population are a bunch of overweight spoiled people who thrive on convenience and fast food. I can almost imagine if Thanksgiving could be made in fast food form the fast food joints would make a bundle.
I do disagree on the fact that most Latin American are less likely to drink or do drugs though. I have been to "Latin America" south, beyond Mexico and those people know how to party! [beam]
Maybe this is a challenge to we Americans to get offa our Super Sized fat asses and exercise more as well as to put the Super Sized Pepsi down and drink some water! [wink]
Quetzal posted at 11:22 am on Tue, Nov 23, 2010.
Does anyone see how ridiculous this study is? "Mexican immigrants who exercise regularly, eat wholesome foods and live in tight-knit communities illustrate why Latinos live longer on average than non-Hispanic whites and blacks" Doesn't anyone who exercises regularly and eats right going to have an average longer life-span??? What does "tight-knit community" and being a "Mexican" Immigrant have to do with it? What about the Guatemalan, Cuban, or Chinese immigrants who are eating right and exercising? Then...\
Markides says immigrants, "They arrive healthier," he said. "They're the cream of the crop."
That's ridiculous, most come in illegally, many are poor and illiterate. The cream of the cop, as he says, are living well in their home countries.
azrepublican posted at 11:50 am on Tue, Nov 23, 2010.
"Markides' research has found that Latin American immigrants are significantly healthier than U.S.-born Latinos: "There is no doubt immigrants are driving this."
"Immigrants are also more likely to accept physically demanding jobs that keep them in shape and to eat healthier food, he said. U.S.-born Latinos are typically like other Americans."
Well anyone can see that this doesn't last long as they move on to jobs Americans will do and get fat and happy. After that they become like any other Latino that was born here.
I guess that means hillstreet's racist comment is meaningless.
SunWorshiper posted at 1:54 pm on Wed, Nov 24, 2010.
What would the study show if numbers were separated by "legal" Latinos and "Illegal" Latinos living in the US. And could figures be further broken down AMONG ALL GROUPS to compare longevity for those actually working as the "Everyday Joe" for a lifetime vs. those sitting back with the remote control as they get off their duff once a month to see if their Taxpayer subsidized auto-deposit was made?
rrjenn posted at 5:09 pm on Wed, Nov 24, 2010.
Alzheimer’s exacts a heavy toll among Latino Americans, who tend to get the condition almost seven years earlier than white Americans, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania and UC San Francisco.
Ouch! Bad news for the white people haters! [sad]