Fatty acids composition and food consumption among reindeer herders and urban inhabitants of the European North of Russia

The goal of this study was to examine the fatty acid (FA) composition of the total plasma lipids of the native inhabitants of the Russian European North, taking into consideration the differences in lifestyles and nutritional habits as well as the interrelationship between the plasma FA profile and nutrition. In total, 78 native residents of the Russian European North (61 men and 17 women) from two regions of Komi Republic of Northern Russia (Izhma settlement and city Syktyvkar), aged 25-45 years, were included in this study. The Izhma group consisted of reindeer herders (17 men and 17 women). The comparison group (44 men) consisted of citizens of Syktyvkar. Venous blood plasma after overnight fasting was used for analysis of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, vitamins and total FA composition. A modified questionnaire 'Seafood and the health of the people of the North' was used for the assessment of nutrition. The levels of total FAs in the blood plasma of Indigenous inhabitants of Russian European North were at the lower border of the reference range. In the Izhma group, levels of n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (1.3/0.9-1.8; p