Latinos have tapped into a fountain of youth, aging more slowly than people of other ethnic groups, a recent study found.
In what the UCLA study is claiming is a "Hispanic paradox," Latinos outlive Caucasians despite suffering from higher rates of diabetes and other diseases, according to professor of human genetics Steve Horvath, the study’s lead author.
"We suspect that Latinos’ slower aging rate helps neutralize their higher health risks, particularly those related to obesity and inflammation,” Horvath said in a news release.
Latinos live an approximate three years longer than Caucasians, reaching age 82 on average, the study released in the Aug. 16 issue of Genome Biology found.
Researchers analyzed DNA samples from 6,000 people from African groups, African-Americans, Caucasians, East Asians, Latinos and an indigenous Bolivian groups called the Tsimané, "who are genetically related to Latinos."
Blood DNA from the Tsimané and Latinos aged more slowly, which is why the groups would live longer, the study found. The Tsimané aged even more slowly than other Latinos.
Latina women were also "biologically" younger than non-Latina women who were the same age, the study said.