PROJECT "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT / SOMOS LO QUE COMEMOS"

In order to understand the relationship between the state of the Health of Marine Ecosystems and Human Health, this type of project is necessary, so in 2010 FUCOBI started this pilot project with the purpose of understanding the nutritional habits of those close to it. to mangroves through the measurement of hematological and chemical parameters, the levels of heavy metals and POPs in human blood, in order to analyze the association between the load of pollutants in fish, shrimp, shells and the health condition of coastal ecuadorian.

"YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT / SOMOS LO QUE COMEMOS": PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON HEMATOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN BLOOD FROM PEOPLE LIVING NEAR ESTUARINE MANGROVES OF ECUADOR​ 

Andres Espinoza DVM1*; Pedro Andrade MD1, Marco Fornisini MD PhD2, Manuel Baldeon MD PhD2, Miriam Alcivar1, Mayra Galindo1,3, Diego Alejandro MD1, Francisca Murgueitio3, Christian Saltos4, Jorge Tello4, Acacia Alcivar-Warren DVM PhD1,5 

1Fundacion para la Conservacion de la Biodiversidad Acuatica y Terrestre de Ecuador (FUCOBI), Guayaquil, Ecuador; 2Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Ecuador; 3Fundacion Medica Eduardo Mosquera, Quito Ecuador, 4Universidad Estatal Peninsula de Santa Elena, Ecuador (UPSE), 5Environmental Genomics, Inc., Southborough, MA 01772 USA; E-mail: fucobi@gmail.com 
Ecosystem biodiversity is linked to food security and human health. Trace concentrations of potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been reported in shellfish, fish, seawater and sediment from estuarine mangroves of Ecuador.1 Consumption of POP-containing fish has been found associated with insulin resistance, obesity and/or diabetes type 2 in mice2 and people.3-4 Cadmium (Cd) is also associated with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.5 In order to understand the relationship between health status of marine ecosystems and human health, long-term biomonitoring studies are needed. As part of FUCOBIs 10-year UNA SALUD/ONE HEALTH program, the pilot project SOMOS LO QUE COMEMOS was initiated in 2010 with the goal of (a) understanding the nutritional habits of people living near mangroves, (b) measuring hematological and chemistry parameters, heavy metals, POPs in human blood, and (c) studying the association between pollutant load (heavy metals, POPs, and viruses) in fish/shellfish and health condition of coastal Ecuadorians. Nutritional surveys were implemented and people interviewed to learn about eating habits, type of food, health status. Interviews and surveys were performed after written consent by all participating individuals who were first invited to a meeting with community leaders and informed about the long-term goals of the UNA SALUD/ONE HEALTH program. Human blood samples (n=402) were collected by experienced nurses supervised by a medical doctor, and complete blood counts (CBC) and blood chemistry parameters performed at the laboratory of Fundacion Medica Eduardo Mosquera, Quito. Aliquots of serum and plasma were kept frozen at -20for further EDC tests and isolation of nucleic acids and proteins for epidemiological genomics and epigenetics studies. Preliminary results will be presented of CBC and blood chemistry parameters (glucose, uric acid, creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides) in 402 people and potential associations between blood parameters and location, sex, age, eating habits and Cd levels. The information is being used to design prospective studies of the association between exposure to EDCs and obesity, diabetes and other metabolic conditions using advanced epidemiological methodologies and taking into account other important risk factors.

1Alcivar-Warren et al. 2011. Biodiversity of shrimp, crab, conch and fish of coastal Ecuador, and contaminants monitoring. Second International Meeting on UNA SALUD/ONE HEALTH: Conserving Healthy Ecosystems, to Maintain Healthy Animals, to Protect Human Health. USFQ, June 30, Quito, Ecuador. FUCOBI, www.fucobi.org. 2Ibrahim et al. PloS ONE 6:2011; 3Lee et al. PLoS ONE6:2011; 4Airaksinen et al. Diabetes Care 2011; 5Edwards & Prozialeck, Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 238:2009. 

Fuente: https://www.was.org/WASMeetings/Meetings/ShowAbstract.aspx?Id=25576

HEALTH AND FOOD BIOMARKERS, 18 BLOOD PARAMETERS INCLUDING TRIGLYCERIDES, GLUCOSE, CHOLESTEROL, URIC ACID, ETC.
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ARE THESE BIOMARKERS CHANGING ACCORDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE COASTAL INHABITANTS OF ECUADOR?

These Biomarkers can be used over time as Biomarkers of climate change and
​ / or nutritional changes.