title: Declines in traditional marine food intake and vitamin D levels from the 1960s to present in young Alaska Native women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the trends in traditional marine food intake and serum vitamin D levels in Alaska Native women of childbearing age (20-29 years old) from the 1960s to the present.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured a biomarker of traditional food intake, the δ15N value, and vitamin D level, as 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) concentration, in 100 serum samples from 20-29-year-old women archived in the Alaska Area Specimen Bank, selecting twenty-five per decade from the 1960s to the 1990s. We compared these with measurements of red-blood-cell δ15N values and serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations from 20-29-year-old women from the same region collected during the 2000s and 2010s in a Center for Alaska Native Health Research study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region of south-west Alaska.
  
  
  METHODS
  Alaska Native women (n 319) aged 20-29 years at the time of specimen collection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intake of traditional marine foods, as measured by serum δ15N values, decreased significantly each decade from the 1960s through the 1990s, then remained constant from the 1990s through the present (F 5,306=77·4, P<0·0001). Serum vitamin D concentrations also decreased from the 1960s to the present (F 4,162=26·1, P<0·0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consumption of traditional marine foods by young Alaska Native women dropped significantly between the 1960s and the 1990s and was associated with a significant decline in serum vitamin D concentrations. Studies are needed to evaluate the promotion of traditional marine foods and routine vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy for this population.
authors.affiliation: 1Center for Alaska Native Health Research,Institute of Arctic Biology,University of Alaska,PO Box 757000,Fairbanks,AK 99775-7000,USA.
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: 3School of Pharmacy,University of Washington,Seattle,WA,USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Thummel
authors.affiliation: 4Arctic Investigations Program,Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections,National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Anchorage,AK,USA.
authors.forename: Lisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Bulkow
authors.affiliation: 3School of Pharmacy,University of Washington,Seattle,WA,USA.
authors.forename: Zhican
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Biology and Wildlife,University of Alaska,Fairbanks,AK,USA.
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Corbin
authors.affiliation: 5Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation,Bethel,AK,USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klejka
authors.affiliation: 1Center for Alaska Native Health Research,Institute of Arctic Biology,University of Alaska,PO Box 757000,Fairbanks,AK 99775-7000,USA.
authors.forename: Scarlett E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.affiliation: 1Center for Alaska Native Health Research,Institute of Arctic Biology,University of Alaska,PO Box 757000,Fairbanks,AK 99775-7000,USA.
authors.forename: Bert B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.affiliation: 4Arctic Investigations Program,Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections,National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Anchorage,AK,USA.
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.affiliation: 4Arctic Investigations Program,Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections,National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Anchorage,AK,USA.
authors.forename: Rosalyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singleton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000413:Alaska; D000072957:Alaska Natives / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017747:Seafood / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol concentration; Arctic health; Circumpolar health; Nutrition transition; Rickets; Stable isotope ratios; δ15N value