The Hispanic paradox in cardiovascular disease and total mortality.

Abstract

Health statistics and epidemiologic studies have shown that Hispanics live longer than Non Hispanic Whites, despite a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and an average low socioeconomic status, both strong predictors of CVD and mortality. This phenomenon has been dubbed "The Hispanic paradox" and has been demonstrated in old and contemporary cohorts. To date, no factor has been identified that could explain this phenomenon, but socio demographic factors, dietary intake and genetic predisposition have been proposed as possible explanations for the Hispanic paradox. As with the French paradox, where French were found to have a lower rate of coronary heart disease (CHD), helped to identify the role of the Mediterranean diet and wine consumption in the prevention of CHD, the Hispanic paradox could help identify protective factors against CHD. This article describes the current evidence supporting the existence of the Hispanic paradox and provides a brief review on the possible explanations.

• Authors: Jose Medina-Inojosa, Nathalie Jean, Mery Cortes-Bergoderi, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez
• Journal: Progress in cardiovascular diseases (Prog Cardiovasc Dis) 2014 Nov-Dec Vol. 57 Issue 3 Pg. 286-92 ISSN: 1873-1740 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25246267 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Topics

• Acculturation
• Cardiovascular Diseases (ethnology, mortality)
• Diet (ethnology)
• Emigration and Immigration
• Health Behavior (ethnology)
• Hispanic or Latino (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Life Expectancy (ethnology)
• Life Style (ethnology)
• Risk Factors
• Socioeconomic Factors
• United States (epidemiology)