Feskens E J, Kromhout D
Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993 Jun 14;683:9-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1993.tb35688.x.
Chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus are uncommon in Eskimos. Total cholesterol levels are generally low, whereas HDL cholesterol levels are higher than those in an age- and sex-matched Danish population. It is frequently assumed that this is mainly due to their dietary pattern, especially with its high content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, derived from fish and other seafoods. Dietary surveys have shown that the intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in Eskimos is about 14 g/day, whereas it is 3 g/day in Denmark and about 0.2 g/day in the United States. However, the Eskimo diet also differs from the Western diet in other aspects, especially in the intake of saturated fatty acids which is low (9 energy-%). The intake of dietary cholesterol is rather high because of the large consumption of seafood. Individually based studies are better suited to disentangle the health effects of different nutrients, inasmuch as confounding factors can be taken into account. Several cohort studies have now shown that the consumption of 1-2 fish meals per week is associated with a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. Recently, similar results concerning glucose intolerance and stroke were also reported. These combined data suggest that a diet low in saturated fatty acids, in combination with a low or moderate level of fish consumption, may be of importance in the prevention of diseases such as coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and diabetes mellitus.
冠心病和糖尿病等慢性病在爱斯基摩人中并不常见。他们的总胆固醇水平通常较低，而高密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平高于年龄和性别匹配的丹麦人群。人们常常认为，这主要归因于他们的饮食模式，尤其是富含从鱼类和其他海产品中获取的n-3多不饱和脂肪酸。饮食调查显示，爱斯基摩人n-3多不饱和脂肪酸的摄入量约为14克/天，而丹麦为3克/天，美国约为0.2克/天。然而，爱斯基摩人的饮食在其他方面也与西方饮食不同，尤其是饱和脂肪酸的摄入量较低（占能量的9%）。由于海产品的大量消费，膳食胆固醇的摄入量相当高。基于个体的研究更适合于理清不同营养素对健康的影响，因为可以考虑到混杂因素。现在有几项队列研究表明，每周食用1-2次鱼餐与冠心病风险降低有关。最近，也有关于葡萄糖耐量和中风的类似结果的报道。这些综合数据表明，低饱和脂肪酸饮食，再加上低或中等水平的鱼类消费，可能对预防冠心病、缺血性中风和糖尿病等疾病具有重要意义。
