Does Genetic Predisposition Explain the “Immigrant Health Paradox”? Evidence for Non-Hispanic White Older Adults in the U.S.

This study uses data from the 2006–2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) genetic sample (N = 11,667) to explore the “immigrant health paradox” from a novel perspective by examining the nativity differences in genetic predisposition to health-related outcomes. Polygenic indices (PGIs) were used to evaluate whether older non-Hispanic white foreign-born individuals have genotypes that predispose them to better health profiles compared to their U.S.-born counterparts. The results show an immigrant advantage with respect to genetic predisposition to cognitive function, BMI, and smoking frequency. There are no significant differences in genetic predisposition to height, smoking initiation, and depression. Including respective PGIs in multinomial regression models partially explains an immigrant advantage with respect to cognitive function and obesity. The findings are consistent with the “healthy immigrant effect” or selective migration of individuals with a favorable genetic predisposition to health as one of the explanations of the immigrant health paradox.