Dietary Change and Obesity Associated with Glucose Intolerance in Alaska Natives
Section snippets
Subjects and Methods
Residents ≥20 years old from 15 villages along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers were screened at village-based health fairs and in village clinics in the winter months from January 1987 to February 1988 (Figure 1). Each participant provided demographic information and informed consent. Measurements of height and weight were obtained using a standard beam-balance scale.
A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) inquired about intake frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or never). The FFQ was
Results
A total of 1,124 village residents aged 20 years or older were screened (52.7% of the 2,131 residents aged 20 or older) (Figure 1). Subjects included 492 men and 632 women; 895 were Eskimo and 229 were Athabascan Indian (Table 1). Mean age was 46.8 for men and 44.1 for women. Forty-two persons had NIDDM and 21 had IGT for a TGI of 63. Age-adjusted rates for NIDDM per 1,000 were 17.3 in Eskimos and 33.7 in Indians.
Discussion
In this study we found more frequent intake of nonindigenous protein, low-nutrient-density carbohydrate, and fat among Eskimos ≤30 years of age than among Eskimos ≥60 years of age. A similar pattern was found among Indians, although Indians had twice the rate of TGI (11). Subjects with TGI reported a significantly more frequent use of nonindigenous protein and less seal oil, and they had a significantly higher prevalence of overweight.
Interpretation of the study results may be limited by the
Applications
Education should emphasize the health value of indigenous foods and take advantage of the growing interest in preserving traditional customs and skills. Consumption of salmon should be promoted, especially among Athabascans. Reliance on indigenous foods may not be practical for many in the future, so education should target discarding visible fat when nonindigenous protein foods are substituted for game animals which are lower in saturated fat. Care should also be taken when vegetable oil is
References (52)
Future directions in the development of food frequency questionnaires
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1994)Gaps in epidemiologic research methodsdesign considerations for studies that use food-frequency questionnaires
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1994)- et al.
Comparison of energy intake by semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire with total energy expenditure by the doubly labeled water method in young children
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1994) Statistical issues related to semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaires
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1994)- et al.
The diet of Alaska Native adults: 1987-1988
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1992) Nutrition in American Indian healthpast, present, and future
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1986)- et al.
The health and nutritional status of Alaskan Eskimos
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1962) - et al.
Dietary change and plasma glucose levels in an Amerindian population undergoing cultural transition
Soc Sci Med.
(1987) - et al.
Contemporary diet and body weight of Navajo women receiving food assistancean ethnographic and nutritional investigation
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1988) The role of omega 3 fatty acids on insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity
Med Hypotheses.
(1987)
Vitamin E status in Alaska Eskimos
Am J Clin Nutr.
Selected traditional and contemporary foods used by the Pima Indians
J Am Diet Assoc.
Use of traditional Indian foods by Cherokee youths in Cherokee, North Carolina
J Am Diet Assoc.
Patterns of food use and nutrient intake of obese and non-obese Hualapai Indian women of Arizona
J Am Diet Assoc.
Prevalence of obesity in American Indians and Alaska Natives
Am J Clin Nutr.
The Alaska Dietary Survey, 1956-1961
Southwest Alaskan Eskimo Dietary Survey, 1978
Soft drink consumption among Yup’ik Eskimo teenagers
Alaska Med.
Diabetes mellitus in Eskimos
Metabolism.
Diabetes in Eskimos
JAMA.
Diabetes mellitus in Athabaskan Indians in Alaska
Diabetes.
Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Alaskan Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts
Diabetes Care.
Diabetes mellitus in Eskimos after a decade
JAMA.
Use of a reflectance photometer as a diabetes mellitus screening tool under field conditions
Arctic Med Res.
Diabetes mellitus in Alaskan Yup’ik Eskimos and Athabascan Indians after 25 years
Diabetes Care.
Cited by (88)
Impact of a fruit and vegetable prescription program on health outcomes and behaviors in young navajo children
2020, Current Developments in NutritionAlaska Native Traditional Food and Harvesting Activity Patterns over 10 Years of Follow-Up
2019, Current Developments in NutritionObesity risk factors in American Indians and Alaska Natives: a systematic review
2019, Public HealthCitation Excerpt :However, no significant associations appeared. Murphy et al.31 investigated the association of glucose intolerance with BMI and the frequency of consuming various food groups in a sample of AN adults aged 20 years and older from 15 villages along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. Participants included Yup'ik and Athabascan tribal members.
Proximate determinants of tuberculosis in Indigenous peoples worldwide: a systematic review
2019, The Lancet Global HealthCitation Excerpt :Generally, Indigenous populations in high-income countries had a higher prevalence of diabetes than the corresponding general population, while among Indigenous populations in low-income countries there was a lower prevalence of diabetes, although this was not a universal finding. US Native American Tribes (Choctaw, Samoans, Cherokee, and Navajo in the south, and Chippewa, Menominee, Mohawk, and Plain Indians in the north) have been extensively studied and have some of the highest prevalence estimates for diabetes among Indigenous communities worldwide (2·0–71·0%).19–22,30–36,56–92 The lowest diabetes prevalence was reported among Malaysian Orang Asli (0·3%),93 Brazilian Amerindians (0%),94 Scheduled Tribes in central India (0·38%),95 and Russian Chukoyka (0·27%).96
Survey of vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in traditional native Alaskan meats, fish, and oils
2018, Journal of Food Composition and AnalysisCitation Excerpt :In some Native Arctic populations, large quantities of wild caught foods, including salmon and other fish, contribute significantly to the diet (Ballew et al., 2006). Numerous researchers have reported improved vitamin D status and health outcomes in Native Alaskan and other Arctic populations consuming a diet rich in traditional foods (Andersen et al., 2013; Bersamin et al., 2007; Johnson et al., 2009; Kuhnlein et al., 2006; Luick et al., 2014; Mansuri et al., 2016; Mohatt et al., 2007; Murphy et al., 1995; Ryman et al., 2015; Sharma et al., 2011; Sheehy et al., 2014; Singleton et al., 2015). However, the conclusions about specific nutrient and health outcomes rest on the quality and completeness of food composition data, which are lacking (Taylor et al., 2016).
Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and insulin resistance
2016, Medecine des Maladies Metaboliques