Seasonal and annual variation in intake of traditional marine foods by a Yup'ik Eskimo population: a sequential dietary record from hair stable isotope analysis

• Published in: The FASEB Journal
• Main Authors: Choy, Kyungcheol, Nash, Sarah, Orr, Eliza, Hopkins, Scarlett, O'Brien, Diane
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2012
• Subjects: eskimo*; Yup'ik; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.lb347

There has been considerable research and public health interest in the potentially protective effects of traditional diets on disease risk in Yup'ik Eskimos. Traditional diets include high levels of fish and marine mammal intake, which provide omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and other protective nutrients. However, self‐report methods of diet assessment do not capture seasonal patterns of intake. Here, we investigate seasonal patterns of traditional marine mammal and fish intake by measuring variations in a biomarker of marine intake, the nitrogen isotope ratio (δ 15 N), sequentially along hair from a subset of participants in the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) study (n = 19). We found pronounced seasonal variations in δ 15 N values, which we interpret as reflecting seasonal differences in the availability of specific fish and marine mammals. A pronounced summer peak in δ 15 N values corresponded to increased salmon availability. Furthermore, variations occurred fairly consistently across participants. Thus, participants’ ranking with respect to traditional food intake tended to stay constant. This is particularly relevant for the CANHR study, as participation varied seasonally and participants were recruited primarily during the winter months. This work was funded by a Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence grant from the NIH National Center for Research Resources (P20 RR333065).