Vitamins B1 and B2 Status in Indigenous Northerners Leading a Seminomadic and Sedentary Lifestyle

The Komi Republic is one of the regions with large communities of reindeer herders. As a result of the active development of northern territories, the indigenous population is shifting from nomadic to sedentary lifestyle, which is accompanied by significant changes in their traditional way of life and diet. As a result, representatives of the same ethnic group can have different dietary patterns. This paper compares the status of vitamins B1 and B2 between the groups of northerners leading a seminomadic and sedentary lifestyle. Indigenous inhabitants – children (aged 7–17 years, n = 395) and adults (aged 18–57 years, n = 370) – living in the Komi Republic (65–67°N) were examined. The group of reindeer herders consisted of workers of reindeer-herding teams travelling with the herd and their children (either attending boarding schools or living with their families). The control group was represented by indigenous northerners not involved in reindeer herding and permanently living in settlements. The vitamins B1 and B2 status was measured by the activity of vitamin-dependent red cell enzymes. We found a high prevalence of vitamin deficiency (over 40 % for vitamin B1 and over 30 % for vitamin B2) among the indigenous population of the North. The total prevalence of vitamin deficiency among reindeer herders was similar to that in the population leading a sedentary lifestyle; however, severe hypovitaminosis was more than twice as common among the latter. The vitamin status of reindeer herders’ children attending boarding schools and those living with their families during the academic year did not differ significantly from the status of children whose families lead a permanent sedentary lifestyle.