The association of n-3 fatty acids with serum High Density Cholesterol (HDL) is modulated by sex but not by Inuit ancestry

Objective: To explore the association between dietary n-3 fatty acids and serum lipids in a population with a high intake of marine food. Specifically to test interaction with sex and ethnicity. Methods: Information was obtained from 2280 Inuit who participated in a countrywide health survey in Greenland in 2005-2009. n-3 intake was estimated from an FFQ and analyses of Red Blood Cell (RBC) membranes. Serum total, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride were analysed. Obesity was measured. Information on ethnicity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity was obtained from an interview. Results: In linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, obesity, ethnicity, alcohol, and smoking serum HDL, LDL and triglyceride were associated with n-3 intake estimated as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in RBC membranes. For HDL the interaction between EPA and sex was significant (p &lt; 0.001). No significant interactions were observed for EPA and ethnicity. Conclusion: A positive association of EPA with serum HDL and LDL and a negative association with triglyceride was observed among both men and women. For HDL, the association was stronger for men. The association of EPA with serum HDL was similar among Inuit with full Inuit ancestry and those with part Inuit ancestry. Diet and overweight are both realistic candidates for a population based intervention against dyslipidemia. Further studies of ethnic differences in the effect of n-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular risk factors are recommended.</p

Trans-polar-fat:all Inuit are not equal

Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Apr-1As part of the rapid socio-cultural transition observed in Arctic populations, the Inuit diet is changing. We present original data derived from the baseline Inuit Health in Transition cohort study regarding biological levels of n-3 fatty acids and trans-fatty acids (TFA), lipids with opposite health effects found respectively in traditional marine diets and recently introduced low-quality imported foods. A total of 524 Inuit from the Disko Bay area (Greenland) and 888 Inuit from the fourteen communities of Northern Québec (Nunavik) participated in the study. We measured the fatty acid profile of erythrocyte (RBC) membrane phospholipids (PL) as a surrogate for individual intakes. Moreover, the contribution of store-bought foods to energy intakes was assessed through dietary questionnaires. Our results show that while n-3 fatty acid levels were slightly lower in Nunavik (9.4 % of RBC membrane PL) than in Greenland (12.1 %), TFA levels were on average nearly thrice as high in Nunavik Inuit (1.20 %) as they were in Greenlanders (0.43 %). Moreover, younger Nunavik Inuit accumulated higher intakes of TFA and lower intakes of n-3 fatty acids. Finally, the average proportion of energy derived from store-bought foods was high in both groups (77.5 % and 83.5 %), especially in youth. Our results call for action to rehabilitate and recover access to country foods and point to the importance for Nunavik and the entire circumpolar world to follow the example of Denmark and Greenland, which imposed a maximum content of 2 g/100 g fat on industrially produced trans-fats in 2003

Disease pattern in Upernavik in relation to housing conditions and social group.

From April 1979 to March 1980 all 2673 contacts between the 836 inhabitants of Upernavik town, West Greenland, and the local medical officers were recorded together with information on social conditions and housing standard. Housing conditions included size of house, space per inhabitant, heating, and water supply; pronounced differences were observed between Greenlanders and Danes of Upernavik and between different social groups of Greenlanders. In comparison with general practice in Denmark the following disorders were less frequently registered in Upernavik: Infectious children's diseases, cancer, diabetes, minor mental disorders, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and urinary infections. On the contrary, gonorrhea, chronic otitis, impetigo and accidents were more frequently encountered in Upernavik. Danes of Upernavik had a low rate of admissions to hospital compared with Greenlanders of corresponding social group, and low incidences and contact rates for all diseases. In Greenlanders of Upernavik the rate of admissions to hospital for all causes, as well as contact rates for skin and respiratory infections, were highest in the lowest housing standard and social groups and in the smallest households. Contact rates for all causes together and for accidents were similar in the socio-economic subgroups

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Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities1,2. This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity3-6. Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.</p