The Composition of Food Consumed by Greenland Eskimos

TLDR

Food samples were collected from seven Greenland Eskimo hunters and their wives over seven consecutive days using a double‑portion technique. Eskimo food was higher in protein, lower in carbohydrates, and had a marine‑derived fatty acid profile rich in long‑chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, but the total PUFA was lower than Danish food; these dietary differences did not explain the lower serum cholesterol, implying a metabolic effect of marine long‑chain PUFA that may also reduce triglycerides, LDL, and coronary disease risk. ABSTRACT.

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Food specimens have been collected, by means of the double‐portion technique, from Greenland Eskimo hunters and their wives, in all seven persons, on seven consecutive days. Their food was found to contain more protein and less carbohydrates than average Danish food and an almost equal amount of fat. Compared with Danish food, the fatty acid pattern of the consumed lipids—essentially of mammalian marine origin—showed a higher content of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially C20:5) and lower contents of linoleic and linolenic acids. However, the sum of the polyunsaturated fatty acids was smaller than in Danish food. Using Keys' formula, describing the serum cholesterol level as a function of the nutritional fatty acids, the essentially lower serum cholesterol level found in Greenland Eskimos was not explained by our findings. It is suggested instead to be a special metabolic effect of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from marine mammals. There might be a similar effect on the plasma triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein concentrations, explaining the much lower plasma concentrations of these components in Eskimos than in Western populations. Our findings might have an essential bearing on the difference in morbidity from coronary atherosclerotic disease between these populations.