leading traditional and ‘‘modernized’ ’ way of life

• Main Authors: Andrew Kozlov, Yulia Khabarova, Galina Vershubsky, Yulia Ateeva, Vadim Ryzhaenkov
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: 25OHD; nutrition; lifestyle; reindeer herders; circumpolar regions; Arctic; nenets
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.662.8745; http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/download/26038/pdf_1/

Background. Vitamin D status in groups of northern indigenous people of Russia leading close to traditional (seminomadic reindeer herding), post-traditional (in settlements) or ‘‘modernized’ ’ (in towns) way of life was analysed. Design. The survey study groups consisted of 178 Nenets and Komi aged 1860 living in the Arctic (66678N). Urban Komi, Udmurts and Komi-Permiaks (n150) living in a non-Arctic area (57618N) formed a control group. The concentration of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), as a transport form of vitamin D, was assessed by enzyme immunoassay analysis. Results. The group average 25OHD levels in both rural and urban Arctic residents are within the range of values seen in the non-Arctic urban subjects adjusted for season: 39.747.7 nmol/l. Abandoning traditional lifestyle associates with lower vitamin D levels in indigenous Arctic people. Mean9standard deviation 25OHD values among Nenets were lower in those living in the administrative centre (a big settlement) with a population of 1,460 (32.2912.90 nmol/l) than in the residents of small settlements (39.6914.08 nmol/l), and in reindeer herders (42.4913.45 nmol/l; pB0.05 in both cases). Komi townspeople had lower 25OHD concentrations (47.7912.00 nmol/l) than Komi reindeer herders (68.7925.20; pB0.01). Conclusion. The transition from seminomadic to post-traditional and ‘‘modernized’ ’ way of life has led to