The long residence of indigenous peoples in the North environment resulted in a «polar metabolic type», supported by a traditional way of life, including special nutrition, household, and everyday life. Lifestyle changes in recent decades have led to the rearrangement of adaptive metabolic benefits and increased the prevalence of metabolic disorders in the indigenous population.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in indigenous rural residents of Central Yakutia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The sample included 306 subjects (115 males and 191 females) from the Ust-Aldan ulus, examined using the NCEP/ATP III criteria (2005). The study methods included questionnaires, anthropometric measurements (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference), blood chemistry tests (glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase), and statistical processing (using the SPSS 23 software).
RESULTS
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) was 28.1%, with no significant gender differences (28.6% in females and 27.8% in males). The greatest risk of MS was at the age of 60—69 years (44.6%), decreasing after 70 years (15.4%). Metabolic syndrome was associated with obesity (55.5% with BMI ≥30 kg/m2), abdominal obesity (65.4%), hypertension (prevalence of MS in individuals with hypertension was 65.4% vs. 8.9% in those without hypertension), and low level of education (32.6% in those with secondary education vs. 13.7% in those with higher education). In smokers, the risk of developing MS increased significantly with age and was statistically significantly higher compared to non-smokers in the 30—39, 40—49, and 60—69 age groups. The high prevalence of MS (32.5%) was observed among agricultural workers compared to other workers.
CONCLUSION
The data obtained showed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the rural population of Central Yakutia, comparable to all-Russian rate. Key risk factors were age, obesity, hypertension, smoking, low level of education, and specific occupations. The study results indicate the need to create and implement preventive programs aimed at reducing cardiometabolic risk in indigenous peoples of the North, given their unique traditional way of life.
