Alaskan Eskimo Diet Offers Clues on Omega-3 Benefits

The diet of the Yup'ik Eskimos of western Alaska (USA) includes high intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docasahexaenoic acid (DHA), types of omega-3 fatty acids.  Studying data on the diet of 357 Yup'ik Eskimos , Zeina Makhoul, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Washington, USA) and colleagues found the Eskimo diet provided 2.8% of EPA and 6.8% of DHA, of the total fatty acid content of red blood cells.  As such, these omega-3s lowered the subjects’ levels of triglycerides, as well as promoted higher levels of HDL cholesterol.  The team also found this high omega-3 dietary intake to associate with decreased levels of markers of inflammation, particularly C-Reactive Protein (CRP), which is a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.   The researchers urge that: “Increasing EPA and DHA intakes to amounts well above those consumed by the general US population may have strong beneficial effects on chronic disease risk.”