A successful diabetes prevention study in Eskimos: the Alaska Siberia project.
OBJECTIVE
To test the efficacy of a simple intervention method to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Alaskan Eskimos.


METHODS
The study consisted of 1) a comprehensive screening for risk factors of 454 individuals in 4 villages, 2) a 4-year intervention and 3) a repetition of the screening in year 5 to test the efficacy of the intervention.


METHODS
Personal counseling (1hr/year) stressed the consumption of more traditional foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and less of certain specific store-bought foods high in palmitic acid, which was identified as being associated with glucose intolerance.


RESULTS
The intervention resulted in significant reductions in plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (p = 0.0001), LDL cholesterol (p = 0.0001), fasting glucose (p = 0.0001), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.0007) and improved glucose tolerance (p = 0.0006). This occurred without loss of body weight. Sixty percent of the participants had improved glucose tolerance; only one of the 44 originally identified with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) developed DM during the study.


CONCLUSIONS
Dramatic improvements of risk factors for DM and CVD were achieved in the intervention by primarily stressing the need for changes in the consumption of specific fats. The results suggest that fat consumption is an important risk factor for DM.
Ebbesson
Sven O E
SO
Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908-0212, USA. se6b@virginia.edu
Ebbesson
Lars O E
LO
Swenson
Michael
M
Kennish
John M
JM
Robbins
David C
DC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005227:Fatty Acids