Seminal Study Of Inuits, Whale Blubber Diet And Heart Disease Called Into Question

Forty years ago two Danish scientists suggested that a whale and seal blubber diet protected the Inuit of Greenland from coronary artery disease. Nutritionists and physicians have relied on those findings in recommending oily fish to protect arteries. But a new Canadian study that looked at data from four decades of research shows that the Inuit actually did suffer from coronary artery disease (CAD), but it was underreported to medical authorities because of the difficulty of collecting health information from people in remote areas.  The new investigation shows that the Inuit not only are just as likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease as non-Inuits, but they have very high rates of mortality due to strokes.