Changes in Soviet and post-Soviet Indigenous diets in Chukotka

An analysis of changing diet patterns during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods was carried out among sea mammal hunters (villages of Lorino and Lavrentiya) and reindeer herders (village of Vaegi) of Chukotka. Economic and ethnic factors in the choice of food were investigated. The results show that both studied groups are developing diets that substantially differ from both the traditional and the “Soviet” ones.Une analyse des changements des régimes alimentaires durant les périodes soviétique et post-soviétique fut effectuée parmi les chasseurs de mammifères marins (villages de Lorino et Lavrentiya) et les éleveurs de rennes (village de Vaegi) de la Tchoukotka. Les facteurs économiques et ethniques dans le choix de la nourriture furent examinés. Les résultats démontrent que les groupes étudiés sont en train de développer une alimentation qui diffère considérablement de celles des périodes traditionnelle et soviétique

Multiple Advantageous Amino Acid Variants in the NAT2 Gene in Human Populations

Background: Genetic variation at NAT2 has been long recognized as the cause of differential ability to metabolize a wide variety of drugs of therapeutic use. Here, we explore the pattern of genetic variation in 12 human populations that significantly extend the geographic range and resolution of previous surveys, to test the hypothesis that different dietary regimens and lifestyles may explain inter-population differences in NAT2 variation. Methodology/Principal Findings: The entire coding region was resequenced in 98 subjects and six polymorphic positions were genotyped in 150 additional subjects. A single previously undescribed variant was found (34T>C; 12Y>H). Several aspects of the data do not fit the expectations of a neutral model, as assessed by coalescent simulations. Tajima's D is positive in all populations, indicating an excess of intermediate alleles. The level of between-population differentiation is low, and is mainly accounted for by the proportion of fast vs. slow acetylators. However, haplotype frequencies significantly differ across groups of populations with different subsistence. Conclusions/Significance: Data on the structure of haplotypes and their frequencies are compatible with a model in which slow-causing variants were present in widely dispersed populations before major shifts to pastoralism and/or agriculture. In this model, slow-causing mutations gained a selective advantage in populations shifting from hunting-gathering to pastoralism/agriculture. We suggest the diminished dietary availability of folates resulting from the nutritional shift, as the possible cause of the fitness increase associated to haplotypes carrying mutations that reduce enzymatic activity. © 2008 Luca et al