A Systematic Review of Literature on Dietary Transition- Causes and Consequences in the Indigenous Populations of The Arctic

• Main Author: Mahmud, Ashiq
• Other Authors: Odland, Jon Øyvind, Wennberg, Maria
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: NTNU 2020
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Greenland; Norway; AMAP; Arctic biodiversity; Climate change; Human health; North-Western Russia; Northern Norway; Alaska
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2782770

Background: The traditional diet in the Arctic Indigenous populations have undergone a significant transition. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) has been looking into this dietary transition happening in the circumpolar earth for more than 20 years from now and explained them through the studies focusing on changes in Arctic biodiversity, human health, and natural environment. But there has not been any chapter explicitly focusing on the transition of the food, diet, and nutritional status in the populations living in the Arctic. Indigenous communities are the majority living in these demographics and their traditional food habits have gone through a drastic change and hence affecting their health and lifestyle. This study has focused on exploring the changes or transition in traditional food habits, diet, and nutrition while identifying the causes and consequences to these changes in the indigenous communities living in the Arctic regions through a systematic review of literature of the existing valid evidence. Methods: The study has been conducted through a systematic literature review including 91 literature (journals, books, reports, national surveys, articles, and unpublished manuscripts from regional health experts and researchers) related to the topics Arctic indigenous food, diet, nutrition, dietary transition, and traditional indigenous diet. Additional 5 literature was added to formalize the method for the study. The relevant non-English pieces of literature were excluded at first. Still, some of them have been included as the regional and native experts from AMAP HHAG helped the study team with the English translation. The literature that did not match the study objectives and keywords were excluded from the study. The references for the study have been organized using Endnote 9X. For wording, citation and referencing APA 6th format has been followed. Results: A pattern of changes has been found in all indigenous and native populations residing in the Arctic regions (Greenland, Scandinavia, Arctic Russia, Arctic Alaska, Arctic Canada) caused by rapid globalization, gradual climate change, and inclusion of western diet. Traditional diet was found more popular among the older generations than that was found in the younger generations in the Arctic indigenous communities. It is found that the dietary changes have increased adverse health effects such as the increased prevalence of T2D, obesity, dental carries and other metabolic diseases. On the positive side, these changes found beneficial in terms of nutrient intake, as more vegetables have been included recently within the daily dietary composition. However, the traditional diet is still considered as an integral part of the indigenous cultures and traditions by all the Arctic indigenous populations. Rising concern regarding food insecurity also has been found in the North American Arctic territories (Alaska and Canada) and Arctic Russia which has been reported as one of the causes for the changes in the traditional diet, besides other mentioned causes. Conclusion: A similarity has been observed in dietary change patterns among all the Arctic indigenous populations, which has both positive and negative consequences in terms of populations’ health. Similarity has also been noted in terms of causes among the populations. Globalization, climate change, and inclusion of western diet have been found as the common causes for the overall traditional dietary patterns of the indigenous communities went and still going through the transition. A rising concern in terms of food insecurity has also been found mainly in Arctic Canada, Arctic Alaska, and Arctic Russia. Keywords: Arctic traditional diet, Dietary Transition in the Arctic, Nutrition, Arctic Indigenous Populations, Food Insecurity in Northern or Arctic Canada, Arctic Alaska, North and North-Western Russia, Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greenland.