(CR!S) Most of us living in Latin America already knew this, but it is now confirmed: researchers recently published the findings of a study that suggests that Latinos age slower than any other ethnicity.
Scientists refer to the phenomenon as the ‘Hispanic paradox’, since Latinos typically have higher rates of diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
According to UCLA researchers, the ethnic group is unequivocally healthier, lives longer than others, and has cells that take much longer to age.
To reach that conclusion, the researchers analyzed eighteen sets of data on DNA samples from around 6,000 people. In their analysis, they discovered that the blood of Latinos aged more slowly than other groups.
DNA specifically from the Latin American indigenous group Tsimané aged even slower than the general Latino group: around two years younger than Latinos and four years younger than whites.
We suspect that Latinos’ slower aging rate helps neutralize their higher health risks, particularly those related to obesity and inflammation,’ said Steve Horvath, a professor of biostatistics at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA.
‘Our findings strongly suggest that genetic or environmental factors linked to ethnicity may influence how quickly a person ages and how long they live.’
According to Horvath, the UCLA research points to an epigenetic explanation for Latinos’ longer life spans.
For example, the biological clock measured Latino women’s age as 2.4 years younger than non-Latino women of the same age after menopause.
The research shows that their genes ‘hold the key to prolonging youthfulness.