The importance of marine foods to a near-urban first nation community in coastal British Columbia, Canada: toward a risk-benefit assessment

Measurement of diet quality among First Nations peoples in Canada and associations with health: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Given the increasing number and the diversity of dietary quality indices used for research, and the differences between settings, there is a need to identify valid indices of dietary quality in different contexts and populations and to identify their associations with health-related outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this scoping review is to identify the tools used in determining dietary quality among First Nations and to describe the changes in diet. The second objective is to describe the associations identified in studies that have measured the relationship between health and dietary quality among First Nations; and the third objective is to identify factors associated with diet quality.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Global Health, and Web of Science were searched from inception to June 2021 and updated in February 2022. Articles were included if the research subjects were First Nations, or if articles reported disaggregated subset data for First Nations. Eligible studies focused on nutrition and diet and were published in English or French.

RESULTS

A total of 151 articles were included in the analysis. Studies used several indicators to measure if individuals adhered to dietary guidelines. Traditional food consumption was frequently used as an indicator of diet quality (n = 96). The consumption of store-bought foods was used as an indicator in 28 studies. Some studies used other diet quality indicators such as the Healthy Eating Index (n = 5) and ultra-processed food "NOVA" classification (n = 6). A trend for decreasing traditional food intake over time was apparent, alongside an increase in store-bought food intake. This trend was accompanied with declining health status, including the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity, diabetes, metabolic diseases, and dental caries.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review showed that diet quality among First Nations is improved when traditional foods are consumed. Reduced diet quality was associated with increased risk of noncommunicable diseases.

Potential impacts of reduced seafood consumption on myocardial infarction among coastal First Nations in British Columbia, Canada

The objective of this study is to examine the potential cardiovascular risk of climate-related declines in seafood consumption among First Nations in British Columbia by assessing the combined effects of reduced omega-3 fatty acids and mercury intake from seafood on the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in 2050 relative to 2009. The data were derived from the First Nations Food, Nutrition, and Environment Study. Seafood consumption among 369 randomly selected participants was estimated, and hair mercury concentrations were measured. Declines in seafood consumption were modelled based on previously projected climate change scenarios, and the associated changes in nutrients and contaminants were used to estimate the cardiovascular risk. Reduced seafood consumption was projected to increase the risk of MI by 4.5%–6.5% among older individuals (≥50 years), by 1.9%–2.6% in men, and by 1.3%–1.8% in women under lower and upper climate change scenarios, respectively. Reduced seafood consumption may have profound cardiovascular implications. Effective strategies are needed to promote sustainable seafood harvests and access to seafood for coastal First Nations.

In Silico Methodologies to Improve Antioxidants' Characterization from Marine Organisms

Marine organisms have been reported to be valuable sources of bioactive molecules that have found applications in different industrial fields. From organism sampling to the identification and bioactivity characterization of a specific compound, different steps are necessary, which are time- and cost-consuming. Thanks to the advent of the -omic era, numerous genome, metagenome, transcriptome, metatranscriptome, proteome and microbiome data have been reported and deposited in public databases. These advancements have been fundamental for the development of in silico strategies for basic and applied research. In silico studies represent a convenient and efficient approach to the bioactivity prediction of known and newly identified marine molecules, reducing the time and costs of "wet-lab" experiments. This review focuses on in silico approaches applied to bioactive molecule discoveries from marine organisms. When available, validation studies reporting a bioactivity assay to confirm the presence of an antioxidant molecule or enzyme are reported, as well. Overall, this review suggests that in silico approaches can offer a valuable alternative to most expensive approaches and proposes them as a little explored field in which to invest.

Potential impacts of climate-related decline of seafood harvest on nutritional status of coastal First Nations in British Columbia, Canada

BACKGROUND

Traditional food systems are under pressure from various stressors, including climate change which is projected to negatively alter the abundance of marine species harvested by coastal First Nations (FNs) in British Columbia (BC).

OBJECTIVE

To model the potential impacts of the climate-related declines in seafood production on the nutritional status of coastal BC FNs. In addition, we projected potential changes in nutrient intakes, under different scenarios of substitution where traditional seafood is replaced with alternative non-traditional foods.

METHODS

The study design is a mixed-method approach that combines two datasets: projected scenarios of climate-related change on seafood catch potential for coastal BC FNs and data derived from the cross-sectional First Nations Food, Nutrition, and Environment Study. The consumption of seafood was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire among 356 FNs. The contribution of seafood consumption to protein, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), vitamins (A, B12, D, niacin), and minerals (zinc, selenium and iron) requirements was assessed using Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).

RESULTS

Traditional seafood consumption provided daily recommendations of EPA+DHA (74-184%) and vitamin B12 (84-152%) and substantial levels of niacin (28-55%), selenium (29-55%), vitamin D (15-30%) and protein (14-30%). Projected climate change was estimated to reduce the intakes of essential nutrients by 21% and 31% under 'strong mitigation' (Representative Concentration Pathway, RCP2.6) and 'business-as-usual' (RCP8.5) climate change scenarios, respectively, by the year 2050 relative to 2000. The hypothetical substitution of seafood with selected alternative non-traditional foods does not provide adequate amounts of nutrients.

CONCLUSION

Traditionally-harvested seafood remains fundamental to the contemporary diet and health of coastal BC FNs. Potential dietary shifts aggravated by climate-related declines in seafood consumption may have significant nutritional and health implications for BC FN. Strategies to improve access to seafood harvest potential in coastal communities are needed to ensure nutritional health and overall well-being and to promote food security and food sovereignty in coastal FNs.

Projected Scenarios for Coastal First Nations' Fisheries Catch Potential under Climate Change: Management Challenges and Opportunities

Studies have demonstrated ways in which climate-related shifts in the distributions and relative abundances of marine species are expected to alter the dynamics and catch potential of global fisheries. While these studies assess impacts on large-scale commercial fisheries, few efforts have been made to quantitatively project impacts on small-scale subsistence and commercial fisheries that are economically, socially and culturally important to many coastal communities. This study uses a dynamic bioclimate envelope model to project scenarios of climate-related changes in the relative abundance, distribution and richness of 98 exploited marine fishes and invertebrates of commercial and cultural importance to First Nations in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Declines in abundance are projected for most of the sampled species under both the lower (Representative Concentration Pathway [RCP] 2.6) and higher (RCP 8.5) emission scenarios (-15.0% to -20.8%, respectively), with poleward range shifts occurring at a median rate of 10.3 to 18.0 km decade(-1) by 2050 relative to 2000. While a cumulative decline in catch potential is projected coastwide (-4.5 to -10.7%), estimates suggest a strong positive correlation between the change in relative catch potential and latitude, with First Nations' territories along the northern and central coasts of British Columbia likely to experience less severe declines than those to the south. Furthermore, a strong negative correlation is projected between latitude and the number of species exhibiting declining abundance. These trends are shown to be robust to alternative species distribution models. This study concludes by discussing corresponding management challenges that are likely to be encountered under climate change, and by highlighting the value of joint-management frameworks and traditional fisheries management approaches that could aid in offsetting impacts and developing site-specific mitigation and adaptation strategies derived from local fishers' knowledge.

Marine-Based Nutraceuticals: An Innovative Trend in the Food and Supplement Industries

Recent trends in functional foods and supplements have demonstrated that bioactive molecules play a major therapeutic role in human disease. Nutritionists and biomedical and food scientists are working together to discover new bioactive molecules that have increased potency and therapeutic benefits. Marine life constitutes almost 80% of the world biota with thousands of bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites derived from marine invertebrates such as tunicates, sponges, molluscs, bryozoans, sea slugs and many other marine organisms. These bioactive molecules and secondary metabolites possess antibiotic, antiparasitic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic and anticancer activities. They are also inhibitors or activators of critical enzymes and transcription factors, competitors of transporters and sequestrants that modulate various physiological pathways. The current review summaries the widely available marine-based nutraceuticals and recent research carried out for the purposes of isolation, identification and characterization of marine-derived bioactive compounds with various therapeutic potentials.

Medicinal foods from marine animals: current status and prospects

The lifestyle of human being is changing day by day toward the simplified and more convenient way of living. Human wellbeing is majorly dependent on the daily food habits that are in accordance with the habits of individual community and the surrounding environments. Although the food habits are simplified and fashioned according to the current lifestyle, many of the Asians are still showing much importance to the naturally derived and traditional foods. One such medicinally important natural source is the foods from marine organisms, which are an important growing notion for the development of marine nutraceuticals and functional foods. In this context, we have already brought the recent trends and applications of marine algal (macro and micro) foods in my previous volume. The current preliminary chapter of this book volume on marine animals and microbes describes about the prospects of various marine animals and their derived substances/materials as medicinal foods. In addition, this chapter encourages the new researchers as well as various health communities to implement the marine animal-based medicinal foods and their applications.

Development of a computer-assisted personal interview software system for collection of tribal fish consumption data

The authors developed a computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) seafood consumption survey tool from existing Pacific NW Native American seafood consumption survey methodology. The software runs on readily available hardware and software, and is easily configured for different cultures and seafood resources. The CAPI is used with a booklet of harvest location maps and species and portion size images. The use of a CAPI facilitates tribal administration of seafood consumption surveys, allowing cost-effective collection of scientifically defensible data and tribal management of data and data interpretation. Use of tribal interviewers reduces potential bias and discomfort that may be associated with nontribal interviewers. The CAPI contains a 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaire, and assesses seasonal seafood consumption and temporal changes in consumption. EPA's methodology for developing ambient water quality criteria for tribes assigns a high priority to local data. The CAPI will satisfy this guidance objective. Survey results will support development of tribal water quality standards on their lands and assessment of seafood consumption-related contaminant risks and nutritional benefits. CAPI advantages over paper surveys include complex question branching without raising respondent burden, more complete interviews due to answer error and range checking, data transcription error elimination, printing and mailing cost elimination, and improved data storage. The survey instrument was pilot tested among the Quinault Nation in 2006.

Ecosystemic effects of salmon farming increase mercury contamination in wild fish

Net-pen salmon aquaculture has well-known effects on coastal ecosystems: farm waste increases sediment organic content and the incidence of sediment anoxia, supports increased production of deposit-feeding invertebrates, and attracts higher densities of demersal fish and other mobile carnivores. These impacts are widely considered to be localized and transitory, and are commonly managed by imposing a period of fallowing between cycles of production. The implications of these ecosystemic effects for contaminant cycling, however, have not previously been considered. We found elevated levels of mercury in demersal rockfishes near salmon farms in coastal British Columbia, Canada, attributable to a combination of higher rockfish trophic position and higher mercury levels in prey near farms. Mercury concentrations in long-lived species such as rockfishes change over a longer time scale than cycles of production and fallowing, and thus at least some important effects of fish farms may not be considered transitory.