Ik People Research Articles

Slaviq

Slaviq is an Orthodox Native Alaskan celebration beginning on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, marked by indigenous people throughout Alaska. It is especially celebrated among the Yup’ik people in mainland southwestern Alaska in the Kuskokwim River delta region. Slaviq or “starring” lasts from three to ten days involving processions by the congregation, and especially the choir, from the church to homes of villagers wishing to host the celebration. At each host’s home a short prayer service is sung accompanied by the spinning of the Christmas star affixed to a pole held generally by young men. This is followed by a short sermon delivered by the priest or even a reader, and then by the singing of Orthodox liturgical hymns in praise of the Nativity of Christ, Ukrainian koliady and folk songs from the Carpathian Mountains describing the feast day, and American Christmas carols. This paraliturgical celebration is followed by the distribution of candy and gifts by the hosts to all the guests, and a festive meal for more senior members of the community who are present. Traditionally, this meal consists of dried fish, often salmon, fermented foods, and moose and reindeer soup followed by akutaq, a dessert containing berries mixed with animal fat. This study analyzes the historical and contemporary practice of celebrating Slaviq, viewing it as a cultural adaptation and expression of the indigenous Yup’ik ethical code enacted within an innovative Orthodox practice.

UAV-Based Remote Sensing for Managing Alaskan Native Heritage Landscapes in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

The Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta is home to the Alaskan Native Yup’ik people who have inhabited this remote, subarctic tundra for over 1500 years. Today, their ancestral lifeways and cultural landscapes are at risk from severe climate change-related threats. In turn, we propose that remote sensing technologies, particularly with sensors mounted on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms, are uniquely suited for protecting Yup’ik landscape heritage. Based on collaborative, community-based fieldwork in Quinhagak, AK, we present evidence that cultural sites—ranging from historic fishing camps to pre-contact winter villages—exhibit predictably atypical vegetation patterns based on the local ecological biome. Furthermore, these vegetation patterns can be recorded and statistically quantified through the analysis of multispectral imagery obtained from UAV-mounted sensors with three different false color composite rasters and vegetation indices depending on biome type. Finally, we suggest how the Yupiit can combine these methodologies/workflows with local knowledge to monitor the broader heritage landscape in the face of climate change.

Planning for resettlement: building partnerships for, by, and with Indigenous peoples

Efforts in the United States to plan or implement relocation in response to climate risks have struggled to improve material conditions for participants, to incorporate local knowledge, and to keep communities intact. Mixed methodologies of community geography provide an opportunity for dialogue and knowledge-sharing to collaboratively diagnose the challenges of climate adaptation led by communities. In this article, we advance a participatory practice model for the co-creation of knowledge initiated during a two-day workshop with members from the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe from Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana, Yup’ik people from Newtok Village in Alaska, and researchers from the MIT Resilient Communities Lab. Building on prior scholarship of indigenizing climate change research, this article shares the experience of the workshop to support knowledge exchange and dialogue, with the goal of understanding how to build participatory and non-extractive community-academic partnerships. We reflect on the community values and principles used to guide this workshop to inform more inclusive and co-produced research partnerships, and pedagogies that can improve and assist the self-determination of groups impacted by climate change. Workshop presentations and discussions highlight interconnected themes of resources, systems & structures, regulatory imbalance, and resilience that underpin climate resettlement. We reflect on the narratives presented by members of both Indigenous tribes and NGO partners that illustrate the shortcomings of resettlement planning practices past and present as perpetuating existing inequality. In response to this structured knowledge exchange, we identify potential roles for community-academic partnerships that aim to improve the equity of existing resettlement models. We propose approaches for incorporating traditional knowledge into the pedagogy, discourse, and practice of academic planning programs.

Out of harm's way.

Faced with permafrost melt and erosion, and after many years of discussion and planning, ethnically Yup'ik people of Newtok, Alaska, have begun to relocate. The process of settling in a new village, Mertarvik, is underway. Final judgment of the process and outcomes lies with Newtok's citizens.

Characterization of CYP3A pharmacogenetic variation in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, targeting CYP3A4*1G allele function.

The frequencies of genetic variants in the CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 genes differ greatly across global populations, leading to profound differences in the metabolic activity of these enzymes and resulting drug metabolism rates, with important consequences for therapeutic safety and efficacy. Yet, the impact of genetic variants on enzyme activity are incompletely described, particularly in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations. To characterize genetic variation in CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 and its effect on enzyme activity, we partnered with AIAN people living in two regions of Alaska: Yup’ik Alaska Native people living in the Yukon‐Kuskokwim Delta region of rural southwest Alaska and AIAN people receiving care at the Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. We identified low frequencies of novel and known variation in CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, including low frequencies of the CYP3A4*1G and CYP3A5*1 variants, and linkage disequilibrium patterns that differed from those we previously identified in an American Indian population in western Montana. We also identified increased activity of the CYP3A4*1G allele in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that the CYP3A4*1G allele confers increased protein content in human lymphoblastoid cells and both increased protein content and increased activity in human liver microsomes. We confirmed enhanced CYP3A4‐mediated 4β‐vitamin D hydroxylation activity in Yup’ik people with the CYP3A4*1G allele. AIAN people in Alaska and Montana who carry the CYP3A4*1G allele—coupled with low frequency of the functional CYP3A5*1 variant—may metabolize CYP3A substrates more rapidly than people with the reference CYP3A4 allele.

Validity of Reflection Spectroscopy as a Biomarker of Vegetable and Fruit Intake in a Yu’pik Alaska Native Population (P18-124-19)

ObjectivesReflection spectroscopy serves as a biomarker of vegetable and fruit intake by measuring skin carotenoids, however it’s validity in populations who consume high levels of salmon (another source of carotenoids) is unknown. Our objective was to validate reflection spectroscopy as a biomarker for vegetable and fruit intake among Yup’ik Alaska Native people in a remote community who consume a subsistence diet rich in salmon. MethodsWe assessed the convergent validity of a portable reflection spectroscopy device (The Veggie Meter), two 24-hour recalls using NDSR 2018, and the nitrogen stable isotope ratio of hair (a validated biomarker of fish intake) collected from adults (>18 years) in a remote Alaska community. ResultsThe study population (n = 84) was primarily Yup’ik Alaska Native (84%), evenly distributed by sex (45.2% male), and had a mean age of 47.5 years. The mean skin carotenoid score was 222.23 ± 105.81. The median number of fruit servings reported was 0.33 (range = 0 to 4.0), while median servings of vegetables was 1.55 (range = 0 to 11.44). Men had significantly higher skin carotenoid scores than women (202 vs 248; P = .001). Participants who consumed 3 or more servings of vegetables and fruit had a significantly greater Veggie Meter score than participants who consumed less than 3 servings (255 vs 202 respectively; P = .059). The relationship did not change when controlling for fish intake in a general linear model. ConclusionsConsistent with previous findings, vegetable and fruit intake is very low among Yup’ik people. Findings suggest that the Veggie Meter distinguishes between participants who consume high and low levels of vegetables and fruit. Participants consumed lower levels of fish than estimated in previous studies in southwestern Alaska. At this level of fish intake, fish does not appear to confound the relationship between the Veggie Meter and vegetable and fruit intake. Funding SourcesResearch reported here was supported by UAF BLaST, funded by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.

Hunted and Honoured: Animal Representations in Precontact Masks from the Nunalleq Site, Southwest Alaska

The precontact lifeways of Yup’ik people in Southwest Alaska were poorly known until the 2009–2018 excavations at the Nunalleq site near the village of Quinhagak. Until recently, the site dating from around AD 1400–1675 had been locked in permafrost that secured the extraordinary preservation of organic artefacts and faunal materials. As in many other hunter-gatherer communities across the North, animals were economically and culturally central to the lives of Nunalleq residents. This multidisciplinary paper combines the ethnographic study of unearthed artefacts with the results of subsistence and dietary studies at Nunalleq, and demonstrates how precontact Yup’ik ecologies were embodied in material culture, particularly in the iconography of ceremonial objects such as masks and mask attachments. Early ethnographic records and collections suggest that Yup’ik masks were often complex in structure and imagery, and can be considered miniature models of a multilayered and ensouled universe. Masks and other material culture representations highlight the way humans and animals are related and ontologically linked in Yup’ik worldviews. By taking this approach, this study aims to better understand the role of animals in the belief systems and lifeways of a precontact Nunalleq community.

Gender, Subsistence, Change, and Resilience in Quinhagak’s Present and Past

Like many other Alaska Native communities, the Yup’ik people of Quinhagak follow a subsistence lifestyle that is multi-faceted, socially embedded, and specifically tailored to the land and water on which it is practiced. This paper provides a synthesis of Quinhagak residents’ perspectives on subsistence in both the present and the past, as documented in original interviews and in the literature, with a focus on how gendered social identities are enacted through these traditions. The Nunalleq site presents a unique opportunity to examine the time depth of local subsistence lifeways and their social iterations, as well as how these were affected by changing landscapes and climate—all realities of contemporary Quinhagak life, just as they were for the ancestors at Nunalleq. The interrelation of subsistence and sociality has implications for how we understand Yup’ik resiliency and survivance in the face of such changes.

Dietary Vitamin K and Association with Hepatic Vitamin K Status in a Yup'ik Study Population from Southwestern Alaska.

The relationship between dietary vitamin K and plasma PIVKA-II concentration, a biomarker of hepatic vitamin K status, in a Yup'ik study population in southwestern Alaska is investigated. A total of 659 male and female, self-reported Yup'ik people, ≥14 years of age, were enrolled. Blood is collected for genotyping and plasma PIVKA-II biomarker analysis. A Yup'ik-specific dietary food frequency questionnaire is used to assess vitamin K intake. Among the participants, 22% report not consuming foods rich in vitamin K during the past year and 36% have a PIVKA-II concentration ≥ 2 ngmL-1 , indicating vitamin K insufficiency. The odds of an elevated PIVKA-II concentration are 33% lower in individuals reporting any versus no consumption of vitamin-K-rich foods. The association is significant after adjusting for CYP4F2*3 genotype. Tundra greens are high in vitamin K1 content, but an exploratory analysis suggests that subsistence meat sources have a greater effect on vitamin K status. A substantial proportion of the Yup'ik population exhibits vitamin K insufficiency, which is associated with low consumption of vitamin K rich foods and which might affect an individual's response to anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin that target the vitamin K cycle.

Bi-cultural dynamics for risk and protective factors for cardiometabolic health in an Alaska Native (Yup'ik) population.

Alaska Native people experience disparities in mortality from heart disease and stroke. This work attempts to better understand the relationships between socioeconomic, behavioral, and cardiometabolic risk factors among Yup’ik people of southwestern Alaska, with a focus on the role of the socioeconomic, and cultural components. Using a cross-sectional sample of 486 Yup’ik adults, we fitted a Partial Least Squares Path Model (PLS-PM) to assess the associations between components, including demographic factors [age and gender], socioeconomic factors [education, economic status, Yup’ik culture, and Western culture], behavioral factors [diet, cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use, and physical activity], and cardiometabolic risk factors [adiposity, triglyceride-HDL and LDL lipids, glycemia, and blood pressure]. We found relatively mild associations of education and economic status with cardiometabolic risk factors, in contrast with studies in other populations. The socioeconomic factor and participation in Yup’ik culture had potentially protective associations with adiposity, triglyceride-HDL lipids, and blood pressure, whereas participation in Western culture had a protective association with blood pressure. We also found a moderating effect of participation in Western culture on the relationships between Yup’ik culture participation and both blood pressure and LDL lipids, indicating a potentially beneficial additional effect of bi-culturalism. Our results suggest that reinforcing protective effects of both Yup’ik and Western cultures could be useful for interventions aimed at reducing cardiometabolic health disparities.

Dietary and genetic influences on hemostasis in a Yup'ik Alaska Native population.

Fish and marine animals are important components of the subsistence diet of Alaska Native people, resulting in a high ω3 PUFA intake. The historical record for circumpolar populations highlights a tendency for facile bleeding, possibly related to ω3 PUFA effects on platelet activation and/or vitamin K-dependent clotting factors. To evaluate these two scenarios in Yup’ik people of southwestern Alaska, we examined the association between dietary ω3 PUFA intake and activities of clotting factor II, V, fibrinogen, PT, INR, PTT, and sP-selectin in 733 study participants, using the nitrogen isotope ratio of red blood cells as a biomarker of ω3 PUFA consumption. sP-selectin alone correlated strongly and inversely with ω3 PUFA consumption. Approximately 36% of study participants exhibited PIVKA-II values above the threshold of 2 ng/ml, indicative of low vitamin K status. To assess genetic influences on vitamin K status, study participants were genotyped for common vitamin K cycle polymorphisms in VKORC1, GGCX and CYP4F2. Only CYP4F2*3 associated significantly with vitamin K status, for both acute (plasma vitamin K) and long-term (PIVKA-II) measures. These findings suggest: (i) a primary association of ω3 PUFAs on platelet activation, as opposed to vitamin K-dependent clotting factor activity, (ii) that reduced CYP4F2 enzyme activity associates with vitamin K status. We conclude that high ω3 PUFA intake promotes an anti-platelet effect and speculate that the high frequency of the CYP4F2*3 allele in Yup’ik people (~45%) evolved in response to a need to conserve body stores of vitamin K due to environmental limitations on its availability.

Developing Trust, Multiple Identities, and Participatory Research: Select Examples.

Developing Trust, Multiple Identities, and Participatory Research: Select Examples Scarlett Hopkins In community–based participatory research (CBPR), trust among participating individuals and groups is paramount to achieving goals. Trust is an ever–changing and evolving concept implying increasing willingness to take risks with potentially delicate information, an assumption that promises will be kept, and a belief in the good will of the other. When outside researchers enter a community, they are greeted by community members and organizations who have often had prior experience with outside researchers. A critical aspect of this process is the value of outside researchers developing what clinical psychologist James Kelly called an ‘eco–identity” or a way of becoming known in the local community that helps community members “locate” the researcher in the community context and provides a basis for relationship development and subsequent trust. In this paper, I will describe the development of trusting relationships involving genetic studies with Alaska Native communities. The Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks was funded in 2001 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) focusing on obesity and cardiometabolic disease in Yup’ik Alaska Native people in rural southwestern Alaska. Initially, it was comprised of three multi-disciplinary research studies including genetics of obesity, nutrition and physical activity, and cultural understandings of health. Now, CANHR includes behavioral health and nutritional research as well as epigenomic and pharmacogenomic research to address health disparities in Alaska Native people. As a Registered Nurse, I am interested in health disparities in Alaska Native people and the influence of culture on health beliefs, behavior and outcomes. I began working with CANHR in 2002, first as a graduate student in cultural anthropology, then as a research coordinator, and now leading the Community Engagement and Clinical Support Core. One of my responsibilities as a graduate student was initial contact with potential communities who had been selected by the Yukon–Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), the native health entity providing medical services and overseeing health research in this region. These initial contacts included several visits to the communities to meet with Tribal Governments and community members to discuss the research and gain approval. These first visits were the beginning of trusting and sustained partnerships spanning a 15–year period with over 1,800 Yup’ik participants in our genetic studies. It is important to reflect on and document how trust develops in community research, particularly when it involves basic science rather than community interventions intending to have direct community impact. In the 15 years that I have been involved in multiple projects involving multiple communities, my primary role has been to facilitate the relationship between the university research project team members while simultaneously being involved in recruitment of participants, data collection and dissemination of research progress and findings. During these years, I have come to understand how my various identities have played a role in allowing and promoting relationships with community members. These identities involve my [End Page E12] southern upbringing, being a mid–aged woman with a family, a clinical background in nursing, and my role as a researcher. Initially, I was very nervous, but also very excited about my first visits to these communities. I was not sure what to expect, how I would be received, and what I should or should not do to be culturally respectful. I had read much of the ethnographic literature about Yup’ik people to prepare myself. However, I felt the best and most genuine approach was to just be myself. Being brought up in the South, I was taught to be friendly and greet everyone, whether I knew him or her or not. In each Yup’ik community, I would smile and nod or say hello when passing. I found Yup’ik people were very friendly and welcoming to me. When appropriate, I would introduce myself, and share why I was in their community. I think my excitement over being in their community and my eagerness to learn about their culture was evident. Over time, I got to know many individuals in the communities by name, learned much abut their lives and their...

Polymorphisms in stearoyl coa desaturase and sterol regulatory element binding protein interact with N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake to modify associations with anthropometric variables and metabolic phenotypes in Yup'ik people.

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) intake is associated with protection from obesity; however, the mechanisms of protection remain poorly characterized. The stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD), insulin-sensitive glucose transporter (SLC2A4), and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBF1) genes are transcriptionally regulated by n-3 PUFA intake and harbor polymorphisms associated with obesity. The present study investigated how consumption of n-3 PUFA modifies associations between SCD, SLC2A4, and SREBF1 polymorphisms and anthropometric variables and metabolic phenotypes. Anthropometric variables and metabolic phenotypes were measured in a cross-sectional sample of Yup'ik individuals (n = 1135) and 33 polymorphisms were tested for main effects and interactions using linear models that account for familial correlations. n-3 PUFA intake was estimated using red blood cell nitrogen stable isotope ratios. SCD polymorphisms were associated with ApoA1 concentration and n-3 PUFA interactions with SCD polymorphisms were associated with reduced fasting cholesterol levels and waist-to-hip ratio. SLC2A4 polymorphisms were associated with hip circumference, high-density lipoprotein and ApoA1 concentrations. SREBF1 polymorphisms were associated with low-density lipoprotein and HOMA-IR and n-3 PUFA interactions were associated with reduced fasting insulin and HOMA-IR levels. The results suggest that an individual's genotype may interact with dietary n-3 PUFAs in ways that are associated with protection from obesity-related diseases in Yup'ik people.

Linkage and association analysis of circulating vitamin D and parathyroid hormone identifies novel loci in Alaska Native Yup'ik people.

BackgroundVitamin D deficiency is a well-documented public health issue with both genetic and environmental determinants. Populations living at far northern latitudes are vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency and its health sequelae, although consumption of traditional native dietary pattern rich in fish and marine mammals may buffer the effects of reduced sunlight exposure. To date, few studies have investigated the genetics of vitamin D metabolism in circumpolar populations or considered genediet interactions with fish and n-3 fatty acid intake.MethodsWe searched for genomic regions exhibiting linkage and association with circulating levels of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in 982 Yup’ik individuals from the Center for Alaska Native Health Research Study. We also investigated potential interactions between genetic variants and a biomarker of traditional dietary intake, the δ15N value.ResultsWe identified several novel regions linked with circulating vitamin D and PTH as well as replicated a previous linkage finding on 2p16.2 for vitamin D. Bioinformatic analysis revealed multiple candidate genes for both PTH and vitamin D, including CUBN, MGAT3, and NFKBIA. Targeted association analysis identified NEBL as a candidate gene for vitamin D and FNDC3B for PTH. We observed significant associations between a variant in MXD1 and vitamin D only when an interaction with the δ15N value was included. Finally, we integrated pathway level information to illustrate the biological validity of the proposed candidate genes.ConclusionWe provide evidence of linkage between several biologically plausible genomic regions and vitamin D metabolism in a circumpolar population. Additionally, these findings suggest that a traditional dietary pattern may modulate genetic effects on circulating vitamin D.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12263-016-0538-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Variation in genes controlling warfarin disposition and response in American Indian and Alaska Native people: CYP2C9, VKORC1, CYP4F2, CYP4F11, GGCX.

Pharmacogenetic testing is projected to improve health outcomes and reduce the cost of care by increasing therapeutic efficacy and minimizing drug toxicity. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people historically have been excluded from pharmacogenetic research and its potential benefits, a deficiency we sought to address. The vitamin K antagonist warfarin is prescribed for prevention of thromboembolic events, although its narrow therapeutic index and wide interindividual variability necessitate close monitoring of drug response. Therefore, we were interested in variation in CYP2C9, VKORC1, CYP4F2, CYP4F11, and GGCX, which encode enzymes important for the activity of warfarin and synthesis of vitamin K-dependent blood clotting factors. We resequenced these genes in 188 AI/AN people in partnership with Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska and 94 Yup'ik people living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of southwest Alaska to identify known or novel function-disrupting variation. We conducted genotyping for specific single nucleotide polymorphisms in larger cohorts of each study population (380 and 350, respectively). We identified high frequencies of the lower-warfarin dose VKORC1 haplotype (-1639G>A and 1173C>T) and the higher-warfarin dose CYP4F2*3 variant. We also identified two relatively common, novel, and potentially function-disrupting variants in CYP2C9 (M1L and N218I), which, along with CYP2C9*3, CYP2C9*2, and CYP2C9*29, predict that a significant proportion of AI/AN people will have decreased CYP2C9 activity. Overall, we predict a lower average warfarin dose requirement in AI/AN populations in Alaska than that seen in non-AI/AN populations of the USA, a finding consistent with clinical experience in Alaska.

Linkage and association analysis of obesity traits reveals novel loci and interactions with dietary n-3 fatty acids in an Alaska Native (Yup’ik) population

ObjectiveTo identify novel genetic markers of obesity-related traits and to identify gene-diet interactions with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) intake in Yup’ik people. Material and methodsWe measured body composition, plasma adipokines and ghrelin in 982 participants enrolled in the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) Study. We conducted a genome-wide SNP linkage scan and targeted association analysis, fitting additional models to investigate putative gene-diet interactions. Finally, we performed bioinformatic analysis to uncover likely candidate genes within the identified linkage peaks. ResultsWe observed evidence of linkage for all obesity-related traits, replicating previous results and identifying novel regions of interest for adiponectin (10q26.13-2) and thigh circumference (8q21.11-13). Bioinformatic analysis revealed DOCK1, PTPRE (10q26.13-2) and FABP4 (8q21.11-13) as putative candidate genes in the newly identified regions. Targeted SNP analysis under the linkage peaks identified associations between three SNPs and obesity-related traits: rs1007750 on chromosome 8 and thigh circumference (P=0.0005), rs878953 on chromosome 5 and thigh skinfold (P=0.0004), and rs1596854 on chromosome 11 for waist circumference (P=0.0003). Finally, we showed that n-3 PUFA modified the association between obesity related traits and two additional variants (rs2048417 on chromosome 3 for adiponectin, P for interaction=0.0006 and rs730414 on chromosome 11 for percentage body fat, P for interaction=0.0004). ConclusionsThis study presents evidence of novel genomic regions and gene-diet interactions that may contribute to the pathophysiology of obesity-related traits among Yup’ik people.

Development of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for use among the Yup'ik people of Western Alaska.

Alaska Native populations are experiencing a nutrition transition and a resulting decrease in diet quality. The present study aimed to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess the diet of the Yup'ik people of Western Alaska. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using 24-hour recalls and the information collected served as a basis for developing a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. A total of 177 males and females, aged 13-88, in six western Alaska communities, completed up to three 24-hour recalls as part of the Alaska Native Dietary and Subsistence Food Assessment Project. The frequency of the foods reported in the 24-hour recalls was tabulated and used to create a draft quantitative food frequency questionnaire, which was pilot tested and finalized with input from community members. Store-bought foods high in fat and sugar were reported more frequently than traditional foods. Seven of the top 26 foods most frequently reported were traditional foods. A 150-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire was developed that included 14 breads and crackers; 3 cereals; 11 dairy products; 69 meats, poultry and fish; 13 fruit; 22 vegetables; 9 desserts and snacks; and 9 beverages. The quantitative food frequency questionnaire contains 39 traditional food items. This quantitative food frequency questionnaire can be used to assess the unique diet of the Alaska Native people of Western Alaska. This tool will allow for monitoring of dietary changes over time as well as the identification of foods and nutrients that could be promoted in a nutrition intervention program intended to reduce chronic disease.

A Stable Isotope Biomarker of Marine Food Intake Captures Associations between n–3 Fatty Acid Intake and Chronic Disease Risk in a Yup’ik Study Population, and Detects New Associations with Blood Pressure and Adiponectin

The nitrogen isotope ratio (δ15N) of RBCs has been proposed as a biomarker of marine food intake in Yup’ik people based on strong associations with RBC eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, EPA and DHA derive from marine fats, whereas elevated δ15N derives from marine protein, and these dietary components may have different biologic effects. Whether δ15N is similarly associated with chronic disease risk factors compared with RBC EPA and DHA is not known. We used covariate-adjusted linear models to describe biomarker associations with chronic disease risk factors in Yup’ik people, first in a smaller (n = 363) cross-sectional study population using RBC EPA, DHA, and δ15N, and then in a larger (n = 772) cross-sectional study population using δ15N only. In the smaller sample, associations of RBC EPA, DHA, and δ15N with obesity and chronic disease risk factors were similar in direction and significance: δ15N was positively associated with total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and inversely associated with triglycerides. Based on comparisons between covariate-adjusted β-coefficients, EPA was more strongly associated with circulating lipids and lipoproteins, whereas δ15N was more strongly associated with adipokines, the inflammatory marker interleukin-6, and IGFBP-3. In the larger sample there were new findings for this population: δ15N was inversely associated with blood pressure and there was a significant association (with inverse linear and positive quadratic terms) with adiponectin. In conclusion, δ15N is a valid measure for evaluating associations between EPA and DHA intake and chronic disease risk in Yup’ik people and may be used in larger studies. By measuring δ15N, we report beneficial associations of marine food intake with blood pressure and adiponectin, which may contribute to a lower incidence of some chronic diseases in Yup’ik people.

Locally harvested foods support serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D sufficiency in an indigenous population of Western Alaska

BackgroundLow serum vitamin D is associated with higher latitude, age, body fat percentage and low intake of fatty fish. Little documentation of vitamin D concentrations is available for Alaska Native populations.ObjectiveThis study was undertaken to investigate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations of the Yup'ik people of southwestern Alaska in relation to demographic and lifestyle variables, particularly with the use of locally harvested (local) foods.DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsWe estimated 25(OH)D, dietary vitamin D and calcium, percent of energy from local foods and demographic variables in 497 Yup'ik people (43% males) aged 14–92 residing in southwestern Alaska. Sampling was approximately equally divided between synthesizing and non-synthesizing seasons, although the preponderance of samples were drawn during months of increasing daylight.ResultsMean vitamin D intake was 15.1±20.2 µg/d, while local foods accounted for 22.9±17.1% of energy intake. The leading sources of vitamin D were local fish (90.1%) followed by market foods. Mean 25(OH)D concentration was 95.6±40.7 nmol/L. Participants in the upper 50th percentile of 25(OH)D concentration tended to be older, male, of lower body mass index, sampled during the synthesizing season, and among the upper 50th percentile of local food use.ConclusionsA shift away from locally harvested foods will likely increase the risk for serum 25(OH)D insufficiency in this population.

Stable Isotope Models of Sugar Intake Using Hair, Red Blood Cells, and Plasma, but Not Fasting Plasma Glucose, Predict Sugar Intake in a Yup’ik Study Population1,2

Objectively measured biomarkers will help to resolve the controversial role of sugar intake in the etiology of obesity and related chronic diseases. We recently validated a dual-isotope model based on RBC carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios that explained a large percentage of the variation in self-reported sugar intake in a Yup’ik study population. Stable isotope ratios can easily be measured from many tissues, including RBCs, plasma, and hair; however, it is not known how isotopic models of sugar intake compare among these tissues. Here, we compared self-reported sugar intake with models based on RBCs, plasma, and hair δ13C and δ15N in Yup’ik people. We also evaluated associations of sugar intake with fasting plasma glucose δ13C. Finally, we evaluated relations between δ13C and δ15N values in hair, plasma, RBCs, and fasting plasma glucose to allow comparison of isotope ratios across tissue types. Models using RBCs, plasma, or hair isotope ratios explained similar amounts of variance in total sugar, added sugar, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake (∼53%, 48%, and 34%, respectively); however, the association with δ13C was strongest for models based on RBCs and hair. There were no associations with fasting plasma glucose δ13C (R2 = 0.03). The δ13C and δ15N values of RBCs, plasma, and hair showed strong, positive correlations; the slopes of these relations did not differ from 1. This study demonstrates that RBC, plasma, and hair isotope ratios predict sugar intake and provides data that will allow comparison of studies using different sample types.