“Nielsen noted that this is some of the clearest evidence to date that human populations are actually adapted to particular diets; that is, they differ in the way they physiologically respond to diets.”
Studies on Greenland natives (the Inuit) are often used as a reference regarding the protective effect omega-3 fatty acids may have against negative consequences of a high fat diet. The question researchers had probed was if this information is applicable to other populations worldwide. It was actually discovered that nearly 100% of the Inuit population contain genetic mutations thought to alter their biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids, compared to the 2% of Europeans containing these mutations. In other words, it may be that the Inuit genetic mutations offer cardiovascular protection against their diets, as opposed to or in combination with the omega-3 fatty acids offering protection.
“We’ve now found that they have unique genetic adaptations to this diet, so you cannot extrapolate from them to other populations. A diet that is healthy for the Inuit may not necessarily be good for the rest of us.”
In summary, it is thought that these mutations have been selected for survival and protection from limited dietary options. Specifically, these dietary options include: “high-meat, high-fat, hunter-gatherer diets from large land and marine mammals high in certain types of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids…”