Body fat distribution in Alaskan Eskimos of the Bering Straits region: the Alaskan Siberia Project

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 171 - 179
• Main Authors: Risica, P.M, Ebbesson, S.O.E, Schraer, C.D, Nobmann, E.D, Caballero, B.H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing 01-02-2000; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: abdominal fat; Adipose Tissue - anatomy & histology; Adult; adults; Aged; Alaska; Alaska Natives; Anthropometry; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; bioelectrical impedance; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition - genetics; Body Constitution; Body fat; Body mass index; Canadians; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic illnesses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; diabetes mellitus; Eskimos; Female; Health services; hips; Humans; Inuits - genetics; Islands; lipid content; Male; Medical sciences; men; Metabolic diseases; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Nutrition; Obesity; races; screening; Sex Characteristics; Skinfold Thickness; spring; Towns; villages; waist; waist-to-hip ratio; women; Womens health; Alaska; Siberia; United States; North America; America; United States > US; Russia; Human; Ethnic origin; Adipose tissue; Anthropometry; Distribution; Fat mass; Body composition
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801103

OBJECTIVE: To describe the body fat content and distribution of adult Alaska Natives of the Bering Straits Region. DESIGN: Cross-sectional screening in the spring of 1994. SUBJECTS: 454 non-pregnant native residents from four rural Alaskan villages. MEASUREMENTS: Height, weight, hip and thigh circumference, bioelectrical impedance, sagittal abdominal diameter, and triceps, biceps, suprailiac, subscapular and thigh skinfolds. RESULTS: Mean height, weight and subscapular-to-triceps ratio were higher in men than women. The women had larger waist, hip and thigh circumferences, higher body fatness, as well as larger skinfolds than the men. There were no demonstrable differences between men and women in measures of body fat distribution. The proportions of women and men with high waist-to-hip ratio (greater than or equal to 0.8 for women, greater than or equal to 0.9 for men) for low (< 25 kg/m2), medium (25-30 kg/m2) and high (> 30 kg/m2) body mass index (BMI) groups were compared with a Canadian study of all races. In the lowest BMI subgroup (< 25 kg/m2) a much higher proportion of Eskimo women exhibited a high waist-to-hip ratio (91%) than Eskimo men (42%) or Canadian women (29%) or men (51%). In the highest BMI subgroup (> 30 kg/m2) Eskimo women were similar in proportion of high waist-to-hip ratio (99%) compared to Eskimo men (100%), but still demonstrated a much greater proportion of subjects with high waist-to-hip ratio than either Canadian men (90%) or women (76%). CONCLUSIONS: The large abdominal fat depots found in Eskimo women were similar to men, and may indicate that future increases in diabetes mellitus and other metabolic alterations can be anticipated.