Nutritional and metabolic profile of Kisêdjê Indians

Abstract

Indigenous people through a complex process of epidemiological transition in which, even if the infectious and parasitic diseases persist as a major cause of death, there is a parallel significant increase in non communicable diseases and external causes as causes of death. Recent publications have shown that among the indigenous peoples of the Upper Xingu, the prevalence of overweight, central obesity and dyslipidemia are all greater than 60% (higher than those observed for the Brazilian population), and that at least 15% of individuals already had metabolic syndrome. The Suya or Kisêdjê (as themselves) are a Ge-speaking people living in the central area of the Xingu Indigenous Park. In 1999, using data from a cross-sectional study, we observed elevated prevalence of overweight (46.5%), central obesity (38.4%), dyslipidemia (63.9%) and metabolic syndrome (21.9%) among Kisêdjê people. Actually, with the intensification of non-indigenous society, the increasing number of Indians engaged in paid work activity and greater range of products and consumer goods, it is possible that such situation has deteriorated. So within this context, this research aims to describe the nutritional and metabolic profile of Kisêdjê Indians who inhabit the central region of the Xingu Indigenous Park and verify the existence of relationships between nutritional status, resting metabolism rate, degree of physical activity, biochemical parameters indicative of the presence of metabolic syndrome and socioeconomic status of these subjects. (AU)