The longer immigrants have been in the United States, the more "affluenza" they have.

The longer immigrants have been in the United States, the more "affluenza" they have. A study of immigrant death data shows that the longer immigrants live in the United States, the more likely they are to suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes...

A study of immigrant death data shows that the longer immigrants live in the United States, the higher their chances of suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Their children born in the United States may have higher incomes but may live longer than their parents did a generation ago.

Esther Angeles, 41, is already suffering from diabetes and hopes that her 7-year-old daughter Johanna Marisol Gomez can stay healthy. (Photo from The New York Times)

According to the New York Times, this research result is contrary to common sense: Many people believe that immigrating to the United States will improve all aspects of life. The findings also suggest that assimilating the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States may be a mistake - at least from a health perspective.

Robert A. Hummer, a social recognition scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, said that certain aspects of American life are not conducive to health.

Growing research on immigrant longevity shows that while the children of immigrants may make more money, they may live shorter lives than their parents. For the nation's largest minority group, foreign-born Hispanics tend to live three years longer than their U.S.-born counterparts.

Some people may ask, with advanced medical technology and high personal wages in the United States, why is the health of Americans so poor? The latest research points out that the main culprit is Americans' behaviors and lifestyles: smoking, drinking, eating high-calorie foods, and being sedentary. The advantages that immigrants had in coming to America were quickly offset by the lifestyle they adopted.

For example, the rundown border city of Brownsville has many fast food restaurants. American food is a huge temptation for immigrants. In the United States, ham and bread are both sweet, and children from Mexico quickly stop eating traditional foods like cactus and beans.

New immigrants to the United States have discovered that American food is abundant and convenient, and fast food is available at any time, which means that this country is really a "land of opportunity." Esther Angeles, a Mexican girl who came to the United States 15 years ago, said that when she first arrived in the United States, she was surprised to see that American burgers were almost as big as a plate.

For immigrants, fast food is not only delicious, but also represents achievement. Going to a fast food restaurant as a family to have a toothpaste symbolizes good income. The busy American workplace has forced more young immigrants to rely more on fast food, and many are so busy that they eat hamburgers for dinner. The combination of various factors has caused the generation of immigrant children to gradually gain weight and develop chronic diseases.

>Angeles' excitement for sumptuous food faded, and the fast pace of the American workplace soon took center stage. She eats more and more hamburgers herself as she works 78 hours a week as a nanny. As a single mother, she rarely ate with her daughter and lost control of her daughter's diet. Esther Angeles, 41, is already suffering from diabetes and hopes that her 7-year-old daughter Johanna Marisol Gomez can stay healthy.

During the debate on immigration reform, many people are worried that if the 11 million undocumented immigrants are legalized, will they assimilate with the United States? These studies suggest that, at least at the level of lifestyle, they need not worry that immigrants are assimilating too quickly.