Selected plasma fatty acid levels in subsistence fed sled dogs along the Yukon River: a pilot study for biomonitoring

ABSTRACT The introduction of the ‘western diet’ marked a decline in omega–3 fatty acids rich foods and a concurrent increase in saturated and omega–6 fatty acids that persists today. Historically, circumpolar people have had a low incidence of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and this ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Record
Main Authors: Dunlap, Kriya L., Reynolds, Arleigh J., Duffy, Lawrence K., Gerlach, S. Craig, Loring, Philip A., Cleroux, Marilyn, Godin, Jean Philippe
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2011
Subjects:
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ecology
Geography, Planning and Development
Arctic
Yukon
Climate change
Polar Record
Yukon river
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247411000350
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247411000350
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Summary:ABSTRACT The introduction of the ‘western diet’ marked a decline in omega–3 fatty acids rich foods and a concurrent increase in saturated and omega–6 fatty acids that persists today. Historically, circumpolar people have had a low incidence of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and this has been largely attributed to polyphenolic compounds and omega–3 fatty acids offered from subsistence foods. In this report, we studied sled dogs as an Arctic sentinel species for monitoring the effect of a changing diet on lipid profiles along the Yukon River. Subsistence fed village sled dogs along the Yukon River, maintained largely on salmon were compared with a control kennel maintained on commercial food. Profiles showed higher levels for long chain omega–3 fatty acids in village subsistence fed dogs compared to control dogs and an opposite trend for omega–6 fatty acids, establishing baseline levels for follow up studies. A comparison with data for previously published mercury levels from the same cohort of dogs revealed a positive correlation with alpha–linolenic fatty acid and a negative correlation with linoleic fatty acid. Food and nutritional security is a concern in the Arctic as the impacts of climate change and transport of contaminants become obvious. This study supports not only the nutritional value of a subsistence diet but also the utility of sled dogs as a sentinel for human dietary change.

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