Eskimos (obese, sedentary but healthy)

[Guest guest]

In a Quebec Newspaper there was a short article on Eskimos and health

which I thought was interesting. As it turns out, Eskimos are

sedentary and obese yet have very low rates of cardiovascular disease

(half of what it is here in Quebec). Their diet consists mostly of

fish so their mercury levels are also quite high. The researchers came

to the conclusion that the high n-3 content of their diet was

protective against heart disease. While surely a contributing factor,

I don't see why they didn't recognize a more obvious explanation:

these people are consuming no sugar or carbs!!

I think two interesting points stem from this. How important is

exercising in fighting CVD? This study would suggest that it is not.

However, my suspicion is that these people had low heart disease in

SPITE of being sedentary and obese. Had they been thin and in good

shape their risks would probably be near zero.

I'm not an expert on Eskimo nutrition, but the fact that they were on

average obese was quite starttling to me. According to the Atkins

mantra, it is impossible to get fat without consuming carbohydrates.

Perhaps their metabolism is different from ours?

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