Despite having higher rates of diabetes and other diseases , Hispanics residing in the US have a life expectancy of three years longer than Caucasian people: 82 years compared to 79. This is what is known as “Hispanic Paradox “ And now a team of researchers from the University of California (UCLA) has discovered the secret: Latino DNA ages more slowly.
To do this, the scientists used various biomarkers, including an ‘epigenetic clock’ with which they can analyze changes in DNA related to the passage of time. In this way, the chronological age can be compared with the biological age of a tissue. Genetic material from blood samples – which reveals the immune health of the organism – from 6,000 people of different ethnicities was analyzed: two groups were Africans, Afro-Americans, Caucasians, East Asians, Latinos, and Tsimanes, belonging to a group of indigenous people from Bolivia.
The results revealed that the blood of Latinos and Tsimanes ages more slowly than that of the other groups . For example, after menopause, Latina women’s DNA was 2.4 years younger than the rest. “We had the suspicion that the slow aging rate of Latinos helps neutralize other risk factors that are higher in this group , especially those related to obesity and inflammation,” explained Steve Horvath, lead author of the work. “Our findings suggest that, indeed, genetic or environmental factors related to ethnicity can influence the rate at which a person ages and, therefore, their life expectancy.”
In the case of the Tsimane, the researchers found that their genetic material ages even more slowly than that of the Latinos: the clock calculated that their blood, in biological terms, was approximately two years younger than for Latino individuals of the same chronological age , and four if compared to Caucasians. A reflection of the health of this ethnic group, which has very low rates of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and blocked arteries, say the researchers.
“Despite frequent infections, Tsimane do not often suffer from the chronic diseases that plague modern society,” said Michael Gurven, a co-author of the study, which is published in the journal Genome Biology . “Our results provide a very interesting molecular explanation for the robust health of this ethnic group.”
In addition, the scientists found that, for members of the same ethnic group, both the blood and brain tissue of women age more slowly than that of men, which may also explain their longer life expectancy. In future work, the team will try to discover which molecular mechanisms are responsible for some ethnic groups aging more slowly than others.
