Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation is involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. This was rare in pre-western Inuit who lived on a diet that consisted mainly of marine mammals rich in n-3 fatty acids.
Objectives: To assess the association between biomarkers of inflammation and the intake of traditional Inuit diet in addition to Inuit ethnicity.
Methods: YKL-40 and hsCRP was measured in serum from 535 Inuit and non-Inuit living in the capital city Nuuk in West Greenland or in the main town or a settlement in rural East Greenland. Dietary habits were assessed by an interview-based food frequency questionnaire.
Results: The participation rate was 95%. YKL-40 was higher in Inuit than in non-Inuit (p<0.001), in Inuit with a higher intake of traditional Inuit diet (p<0.001), and in Inuit from rural compared to urban areas (p<0.001). It also rose with age (p<0.001), alcohol intake (0.019) and smoking (p<0.001). Inuit had higher hsCRP compared to non-Inuit (p=0.003) and hsCRP increased in parallel with intake of traditional Inuit foods (p<0.001). Alcohol associated with a decrease in hsCRP in Inuit (p=0.004). YKL-40 and hsCRP increased with higher intakes of traditional Inuit diet after adjusting for ethnicity, gender, age, smoking, alcohol intake and BMI.
Conclusions: Biomarkers of inflammation vary in parallel with the intake of traditional Inuit diet. A diet based on marine mammals from the Arctic does not reduce inflammatory activity and markers of inflammation may thus reflect the disease rather than the cause of the disease