Maybe wise, old Alaska Native elders have been trying to show the rest of Americans something for generations -- there are advantages to the carnivore diet.
A new study from Rush University Medical Center has shown that older people with high blood levels of vitamin B12 have larger brain volumes and fewer problems with thinking skills as they age. Main
sources of B12 are fish, meat, milk, eggs and poultry.
The traditional Native diet in Alaska? Fish and meat, and meat and fish.
It might help account for why people like Sidney Huntington are as sharp in their 80s as a lot of people in their 40s.
The Galena elder is now in his 90s and still going strong, and his has not been an easy life. His book, "Shadows on the Koyukuk: An Alaskan Native's Life Along the River," documents growing up in the north when starvation still regularly stalked the land.
It's an Alaska must read.
Meanwhile, all Alaskans -- and notably older Alaskans -- might want to take note of the decreases in cognitive function tied to falling B12 levels. Rush University lead researcher Christine C. Tangney told Science Daily that the study's "findings lend support for the contention that poor vitamin B12 status is a
potential risk factor for brain atrophy and may contribute to cognitive impairment."
Some dieticians and doctors are already recommending eating B12-fortified breakfast cereals, but wouldn't a big, thick moose steak or a pot of caribou stew taste better?
Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com
Alaska Dispatch Publishing