Declines in traditional marine food intake and vitamin D levels from the 1960s to present in young Alaska Native women

Abstract

Objective To measure the trends in traditional marine food intake and serum vitamin D levels in Alaska Native women of childbearing age (20–29 years old) from 1960 to the present. Design We measured a biomarker of traditional food intake, the δ15N value, and vitamin D level, as 25(OH)D3 concentration, in 100 serum samples from 20–29 year old women archived in the Alaska Area Specimen Bank, selecting 25 per decade from the 1960s to 1990s. We compared these to measurements of RBC δ15N values and serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations from 20–29 year old women from the same region collected during the 2000s and 2010s in a Center for Alaska Native Health Research study. Setting The Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region of Southwest Alaska. Subjects 319 Alaska Native women aged 20–29 years at the time of specimen collection. Results Intake of traditional marine foods, as measured by serum δ15N values, decreased significantly each decade from the 1960s through the 1990s, then remained constant from the 1990s through the present (F5,306 = 77.4, p < 0.0001). Serum vitamin D concentrations also decreased from the 1960s to the present (F4,162 = 26.1, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Consumption of traditional marine foods by young Alaska Native women dropped significantly between the 1960s and the 1990s and was associated with a significant decline in serum vitamin D concentrations. Studies are needed to evaluate the promotion of traditional marine foods and routine vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy for this population.

One health in the circumpolar North

“…Higher consumption of non-traditional foods, as well as the more sedentary lifestyle that corresponds with movement away from traditional subsistence practices, has been linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, and developmental disorders [65,70,76,77] and to nutritional deficiencies. For example, in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska, a retrospective study of banked samples from young Alaska Native women taken from 1960 to 2010 showed a significant decline in plasma vitamin D concentrations associated with a drop in the consumption of traditional marine foods [78][79][80]. The prevalence of lifestyle-associated diseases has been increasing in remote communities throughout the circumpolar North.…”

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures of hair, nail, and breath from tropical African human populations

“…Stable isotope ratios have been validated for use as dietary biomarkers based on three types of work: first, controlled feeding studies, mostly conducted in animals, but in some cases also in humans; second, observational studies in free‐living populations; and finally, large‐scale global surveys . Nevertheless, additional validation studies are necessary if stable isotope biomarkers are to reach their full potential.…”

Nutritional ecology: understanding the intersection of climate/environmental change, food systems and health.

“…These effects are likely to have greatest impacts on the traditional diets of people living in low-resource settings. The demise of traditional dietary practices will have health implications such as have been documented by O'Brien et al (2017). That report showed a rise in the prevalence of vitamin D-deficiency rickets among indigenous native populations in Alaska whose diets had shifted from the traditional sources of marine-based food to more processed foods.…”