#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Scientists analyzed the level of vital chemical elements in venison from ten Arctic zones in five countries – Russia, Norway, Finland, the USA and Canada. This was reported in Tomsk State University.
The article was published in the journal Sustainability. Scientists explain that the consumption of venison allows the peoples of the North to successfully adapt to the cold, is part of the national culture, food and economic security, which affects well-being and health.
Analysts studied 3310 records from the beginning of the 80s of the last century to December 2021, identified 34 studies. It turned out that various trace elements concentration in deer meat varies greatly in different regions.
“Specialists studied the level of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium, zinc, since the high content of iron and zinc in it increases the body’s endurance, antioxidant protection against free radicals and helps prevent chronic non-communicable diseases. And the rest of the trace elements enhance the atherogenic fraction of blood lipids, prevent overweight, atherosclerosis and heart disease”, the document says.
According to six indicators, deer meat from Taimyr is in the lead. And it is an absolute outsider in terms of phosphorus.
Scientists explain the different content of macro- and microelements in deer meat from different regions by ecosystems and anthropogenic factors:
“For example, the higher concentrations of magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium in harsh Arctic regions may be due to a longer period of feeding on lichens and mosses, in which the concentration of trace elements is higher than in green plants”.
The study confirmed the high environmental friendliness and economic value of venison.
This should be taken into account when developing a nutrition policy for the Arctic regions, preventing diseases and improving the adaptation of the population of the North and shift workers, as well as creating effective drugs.
All this would significantly improve both the health of the population and the economic situation of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, for whom reindeer herding is one of the main traditional activities.
Recall that the largest number of domestic reindeer in the world is in Russia (1620.8 thousand heads in 2021). The most numerous populations of wild reindeer live in the Krasnoyarsk region, the Chukotka Autonomous District, the Republic of Saha (Yakutia), and domesticated reindeer live in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous district.
However, in Taimyr, over 20 years, the number of wild reindeer has decreased by more than four times. In the 90s, about a million individuals lived on the peninsula, last year an aerial survey showed that only 250 thousand of them remained.
Earlier, we told that these animals are able to see ultraviolet light and scientists isolated unique bacteria from the stomach of a reindeer.
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Text: Angelica Stepanova, Photo: istockphoto.com and Denis Kozhevnikov
