A traditional Sami diet score as a determinant of mortality in a general northern Swedish population

Abstract

Objectives. To examine the relationship between ‘‘traditional Sami’’ dietary pattern and mortality in a general northern Swedish population. Study design. Population-based cohort study.<p> <p>Methods. We examined 77,319 subjects from the Va¨sterbotten Intervention Program (VIP) cohort. A traditional Sami diet score was constructed by adding 1 point for intake above the median level of red meat, fatty fish, total fat, berries and boiled coffee, and 1 point for intake below the median of vegetables, bread and fibre. Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were calculated by Cox regression. <p>Results. Increasing traditional Sami diet scores were associated with slightly elevated all-cause mortality in men [Multivariate HR per 1-point increase in score 1.04 (95% CI 1.011.07), p0.018], but not for women [Multivariate HR 1.03 (95% CI 0.991.07), p0.130]. This increased risk was approximately equally attributable to cardiovascular disease and cancer, though somewhat more apparent for cardiovascular disease mortality in men free from diabetes, hypertension and obesity at baseline [Multivariate HR 1.10 (95% CI 1.011.20), p0.023]. <p>Conclusions. A weak increased all-cause mortality was observed in men with higher traditional Sami diet scores. However, due to the complexity in defining a ‘‘traditional Sami’’ diet, and the limitations of our questionnaire for this purpose, the study should be considered exploratory, a first attempt to relate a ‘‘traditional Sami’’ dietary pattern to health endpoints. Further investigation of cohorts with more detailed information on dietary and lifestyle items relevant for traditional Sami culture is warranted.