Live like an Eskimo to prevent chronic disease

If you and all your family and friends eat plenty of animal fat, but none of you have heart disease…you might be a Yup’ik Eskimo.

You’re probably also free of most other chronic diseases, according to a new study from the University of Alaska.

Research from nearly 40 years ago established a link between Yup’ik heart health and their heavy intake of marine fatty acids–in other words, omega-3s. But the new study was the first to actually measure levels of EPA and DHA omega-3s in this specific group.

Results showed that Yup’ik omega-3 levels are MUCH higher than the average in the U.S. population. And chronic disease markers–such as C-reactive protein and triglycerides–are all low, while HDL cholesterol is high.

All in all, those are exactly the results you want to see when your blood test report comes back.

No doubt, omega-3 is an important factor, but it’s not the only thing at work here. The Yup’ik are physically active people who eat unadulterated meats, free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

No way around it–if you want blood like a Yup’ik, you have to eat and live more like a Yup’ik.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“Associations of very high intakes of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids with biomarkers of chronic disease risk among Yup’ik Eskimos” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 91, No. 3, March 2010, ajcn.org