Potential impacts of reduced seafood consumption on myocardial infarction among coastal First Nations in British Columbia, Canada
Lesya Marushka,
Xue Feng Hu,
Tiff-Annie Kenny,
Malek Batal,
Karen Fediuk,
Tonio Sadik,
Christopher D. Golden,
William W. L. Cheung,
Anne K. Salomon,
Hing Man Chan
Affiliations
Lesya Marushka
Environmental Public Health Division, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Indigenous Services Canada, 200 Eglantine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada
Xue Feng Hu
Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Tiff-Annie Kenny
Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Malek Batal
Département de nutrition, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Liliane de Stewart, CP 6128 succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3T 1A8, Canada
Karen Fediuk
First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Tonio Sadik
Assembly of First Nations, 55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1600, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5, Canada
Christopher D. Golden
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
William W. L. Cheung
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Anne K. Salomon
School of Resource & Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Hing Man Chan
Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, 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.
