The nutrition transition in the Venezuelan Amazonia: increased overweight and obesity with transculturation

OBJECTIVES:Amerindians have a particularly high propensity to overweight and obesity as they change lifestyle and experience a nutrition transition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of transculturation on nutritional status in three Amazonian Amerindian villages. METHODS:Nutritional status was assessed in 232 volunteers: 65 Yanomami from an isolated village and 167 Guahibo subjects from villages with intermediate and high levels of transculturation. RESULTS:There was a significant pattern of decreasing stunting and increasing overweight and obesity across the gradient of transculturation. From the jungle Yanomami to the intermediate and transculturated Guahibo, stunting was respectively 72, 55, and 39%, and children /adult overweight was 0, 3/44, and 15/89%. These anthropometric-based patterns were confirmed by bioimpedance vector analysis. CONCLUSIONS:Transculturation in these Amerindian populations is associated with an increase in overweight and obesity coexisting with undernourished children.