Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC director, announced the results from the first national study on Hispanic health risks and leading causes of death in the United States, during a media briefing held on Tuesday.

Frieden during the press brief said the news is both good and bad. Overall, Hispanics fare better than their non-Hispanic white peers when it comes to their health despite several socioeconomic burdens from higher poverty rates, language barriers and a lower number of insured individuals, he said.

The report revealed that one in every four Hispanics live below the poverty line, one in three Hispanics have limited English skills and Hispanics are three times as likely to be uninsured.

The report disclosed that the two major causes of death in Hispanics are cancer and heart disease. Causes for the non-Hispanics are the same, but in reverse order, showed report.

It was also revealed that Hispanics are almost 50% more likely to die from diabetes and chronic liver disease than their non-Hispanic counterparts.

Lead author of the report Ken Dominguez said in a statement that higher rates of diabetes and obesity can be the reason for higher number of deaths among Hispanics.

"We know diabetes and obesity can lead to liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer and when you put that all together this may be helping increase their cancer rates", said Dominguez.

Researchers during the study didn't look at the reasons for the findings therefore these are only hypothesis.

Frieden said it is not genetics and even believe that the 'Hispanic paradox' might explain why the overall picture is not grimmer.

He said in spite of having several worsening risk factors, Hispanics tend to live longer than those with lower risk factors and higher socioeconomic standards.

But a key factor highlighted in the study is that Hispanics have lower smoking rates, which is blamed for two out of every 10 deaths in the United States.