Fatty acid composition of the plasma lipids in Greenland Eskimos

Abstract

Gas-liquid chromatography analyses have been carried out to investigate the composition of esterified fatty acids in the plasma lipids in 130 Greenland Eskimos, compared with those of 32 Greenland Eskimos living in Denmark and of 31 Caucasian Danes in Denmark. While the Eskimos living in Denmark did not differ substantially from other persons living in Denmark and, from what is found in other studies in Western communities, the Greenland Eskimos showed a completely different pattern. They demonstrated a much higher proportion of palmitic, palmitoleic, and timnodonic acids, while they had a markedly lower concentration of linoleic acid. The total concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower in Greenland Eskimos than in the other groups. These findings are discussed in the light of the generally accepted opinion of the beneficial effect on plasma lipid levels and on the morbidity of coronary atherosclerosis of a high dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids. As plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels in Greenland Eskimos in a previous study were found markedly lower than those found in Western populations, and as coronary atherosclerosis seems to occur far less commonly among Eskimos in Greenland than among peoples in industrialized countries, it was found difficult to combine these observations with the results from the present study. If dietary differences are the main reason for the differences in plasma lipid concentrations, the results from the present study point more toward qualitative than toward quantitative differences in respect of fatty acid composition of the food.

The Relationship of Dietary Factors to Cardiovascular Diseases among Japanese in Okinawa and Japanese Immigrants, Originally from Okinawa, in Brazil.

“…This study also examined various diet-related factors among the study populations. Previously known factors such as body mass index (5) and cholesterol level (6-8) as well as newer factors such as urinary taurine (37, 39-43) excretion and n-3 series fatty acids (FA) (44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49) in plasma phospholipids, which possibly contribute to differences in the prevalence of HT and ECG ST-T changes, were investigated. Experimental data, especially those obtained from animal models for CVD such as spontanously hypertensive rats (SHR) (IS) and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP) (16), provided findings that excess salt aggravates the development of HT and increases the incidence of stroke, whereas a high dietary intake of potassium, calcium, magnesium, unsaturated FA and proteins, especially those from animals including fish (i.e., taurine), attenuate the development of hypertension (9-11).…”

Serum phospholipid fatty acid composition and habitual intake of marine foods registered by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire

“…The hypothesis of a stronger homeostatic regulation of DHA than of EPA is partly supported by studies comparing populations with high vs low consumption of marine foods. In a study among Greenland Eskimos and Danes the concentration of plasma phospholipid EPA was highly different in the two populations, whereas the concentration of DHA was the same (Dyerberg et al, 1975). Comparison of serum phospholipid fatty acid patterns in Japanese and Americans has, on the other hand, shown the largest dissimilarity for DHA (Yamori et al, 1985).…”

Milk and meat in our diet: good or bad for health?

“…In the 1960s and 1970s a number of studies demonstrated that consumption of fish was associated with a reduced risk of CHD in the Greenland Eskimos despite an overall diet rich in fat (Dyerberg et al, 1975;Bang et al, 1980). This work led to the concept that LC n-3 PUFA, in particular eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (C22:6), typically found in marine foods provided the cardioprotective effects.…”