Association of protein intakes and variation of diet-scalp hair nitrogen isotopic discrimination factor in Papua New Guinea highlanders

摘要

Objectives:We present new nitrogen isotopic discrimination factor between diets and scalp hairs (N-15(Hair-Diet): N-15(Hair) - N-15(Diet)) for indigenous residents in three communities in the Papua New Guinea Highlands who consumed various amounts and qualities of protein. The N-15 is important for precise evaluation of the dietary habits of human populations; in both contemporary and traditional lifestyles. Several hypotheses have been proposed regarding factors that affect N-15 values, based largely on observations from animal feeding experiments. However, variations and factors controlling N-15 in humans are not well understood, mainly due to the difficulty of controlling the diets of participants.