Search

Background/Objectives: The content of [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N isotopes is higher in marine than in terrestrial food. [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N in human tissue therefore reflects the relative proportions of marine and terrestrial food consumed by the individual. The objective of this study was to measure [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N in liver tissue from Greenlandic Inuit and Danes. Subjects/Methods: Normal liver tissue was obtained at autopsy in 1992-1994 from 60 Inuit with a median age of 61 years (range 25-83) and in 1986 from 15 ethnic Danes with a median age of 84 years (range 66-93). By sieving, liver tissue was separated in a 'cellular fraction' and a 'connective tissue fraction'. [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N in dry liver tissue was measured on a mass spectrometer. [δ.sup.13]C indicates the [sup.13]C content relative to the IAEA-CH-6 reference standard. [δ.sup.15]N indicates [sup.15]N content relative to the atmospheric nitrogen reference standard. Results: Inuit: median [δ.sup.13]C was -21.2% in cellular and -20.0% in connective tissue fractions (P = 0.001). Median [δ.sup.15]N was 10.6% in both cellular and connective tissue fractions. Body mass index was negatively correlated with [δ.sup.13]C in the connective tissue fraction ([r.sub.s] = -0.42, P = 0.057). Danes: median [δ.sup.13]C was -27.0% in cellular and -24.3% in connective tissue fractions (P = 0.11). Median [δ.sup.15]N was 9.5% in cellular and 8.9% in connective tissue fractions (P = 0.5). Inuit had higher [δ.sup.13]C than Danes in both cellular and connective tissue fractions (P< 0.001) as well as higher [δ.sup.15]N in the cellular fraction (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Inuit showed considerable variation in the ratio between marine and terrestrial food consumption, reflecting a vanishing hunter culture where elderly Inuit still adhere to the traditional hunters food with a high content of marine food, whereas the younger urbanized Inuit population consume food with a lower content of marine food and a higher content of terrestrial food. Danes consumed food of almost exclusively terrestrial origin. The present [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N analyses are in accordance with the dietary patterns obtained by dietary surveys. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) 64, 739-744; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.67; published online 2 June 2010 Keywords: [sup.13]carbon; Denmark; Eskimos; Greenland; Inuit; liver; mass spectrometry; [sup.15]nitrogen, Introduction You are what you eat! This slogan indicates that the composition of body tissues reflects the dietary intake of the individual. All atoms in human tissues, except hydrogen and [...]

Objective: To analyse the associations between the intake of fish and marine mammals and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, ie lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure and obesity, in a population whose average consumption of n-3 fatty acids is high compared with Western countries. Design: Information was obtained from a population survey in Greenland: interview data, clinical data and fasting blood samples were obtained from a random sample of Inuit from three towns and four villages. Subjects: Two-hundred and fifty-nine adult Inuit (74% of the sample). Results: Marine diet was positively associated with serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and blood glucose and inversely with very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglyceride. Association with low-density lipoprotein (LDL), diastolic and systolic blood pressure, waist-hip ratio and body mass index were inconsistent and not statistically significant. The pattern was similar within groups with low, medium and high consumption of marine food. Conclusions: There are statistically significant associations between the consumption of marine food and certain lipid fractions in the blood also in this population with a very high average intake of marine food. The observation that blood glucose is positively associated with marine diet in a population survey is new and should be repeated. There was good agreement between the results for the reported consumption of seal and those for the biomarkers. Sponsorship: The study was financially supported by the Greenland Home Rule, Directorate of Health and Research, the Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland, and the Danish Medical Research Council. Descriptors: Inuit; Greenland; diet; cholesterol; fasting glucose; blood pressure; obesity, Introduction The apparent low incidence of atherosclerosis and ischaemic heart disease among the Inuit has inspired research on the biological effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for decades (Corcoran & [...]