The Nitrogen Isotope Ratio Is a Biomarker of Yup'ik Traditional Food Intake and Reflects Dietary Seasonality in Segmental Hair Analyses

Kyungcheol Choy; Sarah H Nash; Courtney Hill; Andrea Bersamin; Scarlett E Hopkins; Bert B Boyer; Diane M O'Brien

doi:10.1093/jn/nxz144

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The Nitrogen Isotope Ratio Is a Biomarker of Yup'ik Traditional Food Intake and Reflects Dietary Seasonality in Segmental Hair Analyses

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The Nitrogen Isotope Ratio Is a Biomarker of Yup'ik Traditional Food Intake and Reflects Dietary Seasonality in Segmental Hair Analyses

Kyungcheol Choy, Sarah H Nash, Courtney Hill, Andrea Bersamin, Scarlett E Hopkins, Bert B Boyer and Diane M O'Brien

The Journal of nutrition, Vol.149(11), pp.1960-1966

11/01/2019

DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz144

PMCID: PMC6825821

PMID: 31268149

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The nitrogen isotope ratio (NIR) is a promising index of traditional food intake for an Alaska Native (Yup'ik) population, which can be measured in blood and hair. However, the NIR has not been calibrated to high-quality measures of Yup'ik traditional food intake. Objectives Our primary objective was to examine associations between intakes of Yup'ik traditional food groups, including fish, marine mammals, birds, land mammals, berries, greens, and total traditional foods, and the NIR. In an exploratory analysis, we also examined whether NIR analyzed sequentially along hair could reflect dietary seasonality. Methods We recruited 68 participants from 2 Yup'ik communities in the Yukon Kuskokwim region of Southwest Alaska (49% female, aged 14–79 y). Participants completed 4 unscheduled 24-h food recalls over the period peak of RBC and hair synthesis preceding a specimen collection visit. The NIR was measured in RBCs ( n = 68), a proximal hair section (n = 58), and sequential segments of hair from individuals in the upper 2 quartiles of traditional food intake having hair >6 cm in length, plus 2 low subsistence participants for reference (n = 18). Diet–biomarker associations were assessed using Pearson's correlation and linear regression. Results Intakes of fish, marine mammals, berries, and greens were significantly associated with the NIR. The strongest dietary association was with total traditional food intake (R2 = 0.62), which indicated that each 1‰ increase in the RBC NIR corresponded to 8% of energy from traditional foods. Hair NIR appeared to fluctuate seasonally in some individuals, peaking in the summertime. Conclusions Findings support the use of the RBC and hair NIR to assess total traditional food intake in a Yup'ik population. Analyses of sequential hair NIR provided evidence of seasonality in traditional food intake, although seasonal variations were modest relative to interindividual variation.

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Title: Subtitle: The Nitrogen Isotope Ratio Is a Biomarker of Yup'ik Traditional Food Intake and Reflects Dietary Seasonality in Segmental Hair Analyses
Creators: Kyungcheol Choy - Department of Cultural Anthropology, Hanyang University ERICA, Ansan, South Korea, Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Sarah H Nash - Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Courtney Hill - Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Andrea Bersamin - Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Scarlett E Hopkins - Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
Bert B Boyer - Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
Diane M O'Brien - Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The Journal of nutrition, Vol.149(11), pp.1960-1966
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz144
PMID: 31268149
PMCID: PMC6825821
NLM abbreviation: J Nutr
ISSN: 0022-3166
eISSN: 1541-6100
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000097, name: National Center for Research Resources; DOI: 10.13039/100000057, name: National Institute of General Medical Sciences, award: P20RR016430, P30GM103325
Language: English
Date published: 11/01/2019
Academic Unit: Epidemiology; Center for Social Science Innovation
Record Identifier: 9984214832802771

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