Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that ethnicity and geography can influence a person’s molecular makeup, from metabolism and immunity to the gut microbiome and biological aging.
The survey results are cell The paper, to be published on May 14, 2026, sheds light on the complex interactions between genetics and environment and provides insights for researchers and clinicians seeking to better understand healthcare in diverse populations.
Preliminary findings provide new clues to further explore how a person’s ethnicity and environment influence many aspects of biology. Michael Snyder, Ph.D., Stanford W. Ascherman, MD, FACS Professor of Genetics, is co-senior author of the study. Research scientist Dr. Nasim Barapour is co-lead author.
This study employed a comprehensive analytical approach to measure a variety of molecules in the human body, including lipids, microorganisms, proteins, and metabolites (molecules that represent metabolic activity) to build a new view of human molecular diversity across populations and regions.
“For the first time, we have been able to perform detailed profiling of people around the world. This allows us to see what traits, such as metabolites and microbes, correlate with ethnicity and which traits correlate with geography,” Snyder said.
Michael Snyder, PhD, Stanford W. Ascherman, MD, FACS Professor of Genetics, Stanford Medicine
A global molecular portrait
The researchers analyzed samples taken from 322 healthy people of European, East Asian, and South Asian descent living in Asia, Europe, and North America, all of whom attended the conference together. By recruiting participants from the same ethnic background but different geographic locations, the researchers were able to disentangle the effects of genetic ancestry from those of the environment.
This study identified several molecular signatures associated with ethnicity. For example, South Asian participants had higher levels of exposure to pathogens, whereas people of European descent had higher gut microbial diversity and elevated levels of metabolites associated with cardiovascular disease. These patterns persisted regardless of where participants lived, indicating a strong genetic component in the formation of human molecular identity.
Where people live also leaves a measurable imprint on biology. Geographical relocation, meaning people no longer living on their ancestral continents, was associated with significant changes in metabolic and lipid networks, including cholesterol, bile acid, and arachidonic acid pathways, as well as selective changes in the gut microbiota.
Snyder said one of the study’s most striking findings concerns the relationship between geography and biological age, a measure of how old your body’s cells and tissues are at a molecular level that may be different from your chronological age.
“East Asians living outside of Asia are older than those living in Asia. Europeans living outside of Europe are younger,” Snyder said.
These diverse aging patterns highlight how the environment regulates biological age and raise important questions about lifestyle, dietary, and microbiome factors that can accelerate or slow the aging process.
new molecular bonds
Among the study’s novel mechanistic findings, researchers identified a link between the expression of a key telomerase gene associated with cellular aging and longevity and the enterobacterium Oscillospiraceae UCG-002 through the lipid molecule sphingomyelin. This discovery paves the way to understanding how the gut microbiome influences aging at the molecular level.
The dataset generated by this study is a valuable open-access resource to advance precision medicine and tailor care to each patient’s individual characteristics, Snyder said. By elucidating how ethnicity and environment interact to shape molecular biology, this discovery lays the foundation for more equitable and effective diagnostic, therapeutic, and prevention strategies for the world’s diverse populations.
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Reference magazines:
Ballapur, N. others (2026) Comparing deep multiomic profiles across ethnicity, geography, and age. cell. DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2026.04.032. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00467-8.
