The Missing Enzyme

Native Knowledge Explains Biomedical Science

There is an important relationship between diabetes, natives, and the Delta 6 desaturase enzyme used to metabolize fats. The lack of traditional dietary essential fatty acids, and inclusion of margarine and poor quality vegetable oils in one’s diet is (along with white flour and sugar) the major cause of diabetes in native populations.

Traditionally, native populations know well the value of these fats. Many native peoples maintain their health with the use of fats from fish, bear, seal and whale fat. Essential fatty acids, derived from saturated fats, fish, fish oils, nuts and seeds, and plants such as evening primrose, are vital to the prevention and treatment of diabetes for native populations.

Traditional Fat Sources	Modern Replacements
Fish and fish oils	Margarine
Bear fat	Refined vegetable oils
Seal and whale fat	Canola and soybean oil
Nuts and seeds	Processed seed oils
Evening primrose and plant oils	White flour and sugar-based foods

The Delta-6 Desaturase Enzyme

The displacement of traditional fats with industrialized food products is a documented driver of metabolic disease in Native populations.

Delta 6 desaturase is an enzyme of particular importance to the metabolism of fats. Pacific Northwest natives and others who have been predominantly, culturally genetically users of more direct sources of DHA and EPA in seal oil, whale or oolichan over many generations, may lack this enzyme. In addition to native populations, the Irish, Scots and Ainu in northern Japan have a deficiency in this enzyme. Delta-6 desaturase (D6D) is required for the conversion of essential fatty acids to prostaglandins, which act as anti-inflammatories.

“Because carnivorous and coastal dwelling peoples had more than sufficient exposure to these converted long-chain fats they developed mutations where the enzyme was no longer required for their metabolism”

Because carnivorous and coastal dwelling peoples had more than sufficient exposure to these converted long-chain fats they developed mutations where the enzyme was no longer required for their metabolism. Lack of essential fatty acids (EFA’s), such as those derived from fish oil, meat and mammal fats and plants contribute to the development of diabetes and once an individual has diabetes, their capacity to utilize these EFA’s and benefit from them is also further diminished thus creating a cycle of ill health.

The Cycle of Deficiency

When action of this enzyme is blocked, so is the entire pathway of conversion of essential fatty acids, to their anti-inflammatory state. Deficiencies of biotin, vitamin E, protein, zinc, B12 and B6 also interfere with the action of delta-6 desaturase and other enzymes involved in prostaglandin production. These vitamins are often deficient in diabetes and are an essential part of treatment for diabetes.

Reclaiming Traditional Fats as Prevention and Treatment

One of the most important dietary practices a native individual can do while eating sources of essential fatty acids is to also ensure sufficient intake of saturated fats, which aid in assimilation of EFA’s . Contrary to popular medical beliefs, saturated fats are not harmful to health and do not contribute to heart disease.

Reclamation of traditional fats can be achieved through various methods, including consuming more fatty fish or taking a fish oil supplement, but one of the most exciting ways is through the rediscovery of traditional foods that have sustained Indigenous communities for generations. One of these powerful reclamation foods is pemmican, a cultural staple that provides abundant nutrition while preserving the knowledge and food traditions of the ancestors who made it.

The following recipe is drawn from Salish Country Cookbook: Traditional Foods & Medicines from the Pacific Northwest by Rudolph C. Rÿser. It highlights his contribution to sustaining Indigenous food systems and knowledge in the Pacific Northwest.

Pemmican

Servings: 8; Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Pemmican, while similar to meat jerky, is not hard to pull or chew. It’s a soft dry cake rich in protein, vitamins A, C, and D,and Essential Fatty Acids. This nutritious food is made with raw meat (salmon or other fish, bear, deer, or elk) that is flattened, air dried, and pulverized. It is then mixed with a fat, such as eel oil, salmon oil, seal oil, oolichan grease, or bear fat. Dried wild berries are added (huckleberries, blueberries, salal, etc.) to this mixture to create a nutritious dry cake that will store for a very long time. The fats have antifungal and antibacterial properties that prevent the deterioration of the meat. These dried cakes can be carried in an enclosed pouch to keep oxygen away and carried as a hiking food. Variations in the types of meat, fat, and berries used to make Pemmican are dependant on location and availability of different ingredients.

Ingredients

2 pounds dried deer meat strips

1 quart wild choke cherries, dried

Oolichan oil (or meat drippings), as needed

Directions

1. The fully dried deer strips can be pulverized using a mortar and pestle (if the strips are really well dried a food processor could be used) and ground until they are like a corn meal.
2. Combine the deer meal with choke cherries, adding enough oolichan oil or meat drippings to bind the mixture.
3. Form the mixture into small patties and store in an oxygen tight container.

* The meat may be any type of dried meat.

VARIATION: Any wild berries can be used, such as blue elderberries or blackberries.

Portions of this paper are reproduced verbatim from Preventing and Treating Diabetes, Naturally: The Native Way by Leslie Korn and Rudolph C. Rÿser.