The secret to obese good health – Alaskan style

If you’re going to be obese, be obese like an Eskimo.

Here’s why: Yup’ik Eskimos, who live in the Yukon in southwest Alaska, have about the same rates of overweight and obesity as the general U.S. population in the lower 48. And yet their rates of type 2 diabetes are remarkably lower.

Their rate: 3.3 percent of the population.

Our rate in the lower 48: 7.7 percent.

So what’s their secret for dodging the type 2 epidemic?

Fat consumption.

Yup’ik Eskimos eat fresh fish daily and end up getting about 20 times more omega-3 fatty acids than folks in states down below.

This appears to create excellent heart-health markers as well. Triglyceride and C-reactive protein levels in obese Eskimos are about the same as those of normal-weight people.

And, while I highly recommend a trip to Alaska for many other reasons, you don’t have to go all the way to the Yukon to eat like a Yup’ik. Just add wild seafood and some high quality omega 3 supplements to your diet.

Sources:
“Eskimo Study Suggests Diet rich in Omega-3 Fats May Reduce Risk of Obesity-Related Disease” Newswire, 3/24/11,  newswire.com