The composition of the Eskimo food in north western Greenland
1980
Đặng, Trần Phiến | Dyerberg, J. | Sinclair, H.M.
Chemical analysis of the composition of Eskimo diets revealed significant differences when compared with typical Danish diets. The water, protein, carbohydrate, fatty acid, cholesterol, fat and ash content of diet samples collected from 25 male and 25 female adult Greenland Eskimos was determined. Eskimo foods (mostly seal and fish) were higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ratio of polyunsaturated:saturated fatty acids in the Eskimo and Danish diets was 0.84 and 0.24, respectively. Linolenic class fatty acids were characteristic of Eskimo foods, as opposed to linoleic class fatty acids in Danish diets. Monounsaturated fats other than palmitoleic and oleic acids constituted 29.6% of dietary fats in Eskimo foods, and only 2.1% in Danish foods. These differences may explain the plasma lipid profile of Eskimos, as well as their low levels of heart disease. Certain polyunsaturated fatty acids dominant in the marine-oil Eskimo diet may protect against thrombosis.
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