The plasma-lipid pattern, including quantitative lipoprotein electrophoresis, was examined in 130 Eskimos (69 females, 61 males) — hunters and/or fishermen, and their wives — in the northern part of the west coast of Greenland, and consuming a predominantly meat diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Most types of lipid were decreased, compared with Danish controls and Eskimos living in Denmark. The most remarkable finding was a much lower level of pre-β-lipoprotein and consequently of plasma-triglycerides in Greenlandic Eskimos than in Danish controls.

These findings may explain the very low incidence of ischæmic heart-disease and the complete absence of diabetes mellitus in Greenlandic Eskimos.

PMID: 4102857

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