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Diabetes prevalence in Canadian Inuit similar to general population

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The rate of diabetes among Canadian Inuit is similar to that of the general Canadian population and, contrary to previous data, Inuit are not protected from the consequences of obesity, according to a population-based study.

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal and the University of Toronto analyzed data for 2,595 people (mean age, 43 years) in 1,901 households in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Labrador who participated in the International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey. Anthropometry, fasting plasma lipids and glucose were assessed and 32% of participants underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. The researchers calculated weighted prevalence estimates for metabolic risk factors.

According to their findings, 28% of Inuit were overweight, 35% were obese, 43.8% had an at-risk waist circumference (≥102 cm for men and ≥88 cm for women), and 25% had high triglycerides. Tobacco use was prevalent (68.8% of the population) and alcohol consumption in the past year was reported among 71.6% of participants aged younger than 50 years and 38.9% of those aged at least 50 years.

The rate of diabetes among Inuit and the general Canadian population was similar: Among Inuit with a mean age of 34.3 years, the rate was 1.9% compared with a rate of 2.4% for Canadians of the same age. In Inuit with a mean age of 61.2 years, the rate was 12.2% compared with a rate of 15.7% for similarly aged Canadians.

Findings from a weighted multivariable analysis adjusted for age, sex, region, education, family history of diabetes and lipid-lowering medication use demonstrated that having high triglycerides combined with an at-risk waist circumference was strongly associated with elevated fasting glucose (OR=4.3; 95% CI, 2.4-7.5). Having only an at-risk waist circumference was moderately associated with an elevated fasting glucose (OR=2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.9), according to the study. Elevated triglycerides and an at-risk waist circumference was also associated with diabetes in a similar analysis (OR=8.6; 95% CI, 2.1-34.6) compared with an at-risk waist circumference alone, which was not significantly associated with diabetes (OR=3.7; 95% CI, 0.8-16.8).

“Our study corroborates emerging evidence suggesting that a simple construct may suffice in identifying people at risk for obesity-related complications,” the researchers wrote. “Further, our findings suggest that Inuit ethnicity does not protect obese people from development of diabetes.”

For more information:

• Egeland GM. CMAJ. 2011;doi:10.1503/cmaj.101801.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.

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