Features of the adaptation of the indigenous people of the Arctic

Abstract

To determine age-specific differences in adaptation of indigenous residents, nonspecific adaptive body reactions (NARs) have been studied among the Evenki men aged 13 to 86, permanently living in the Arctic. The results indicated the presence of age-specific differences in NARs. The decline of nonspecific body resistance in every fourth teenager is correlated with adaptive reactions developing in parallel with underlying low-level body reactivity. Adaptive reactions in men aged 75-90 were characterized by a medium to a high reactivity level, which enabled preservation of body reserves even under extreme climate conditions. Two age groups (22-35 and 61-74) included the highest percentages of people with adverse NARs. Therefore, men in these age groups should be considered as a major risk group for developing both psychosomatic and somatic diseases.