Antithrombin III and dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Immunoreactive antithrombin III and antithrombin III activity was found to be significantly higher in 81 Greenland Eskimos than in 50 Caucasian Danes. Sixteen Eskimos who had emigrated to Denmark had significantly lower immunoreactive antithrombin III levels than the Greenland Eskimos, though higher than the Danes. The immunoreactive antithrombin III increased significantly while the increase in antithrombin III activity was insignificant in 20 male Caucasian Danes upon 3 weeks supplementation of the diet with 10 ml daily of a cod liver oil concentrate. The high antithrombin III level in the Eskimos may at least partly be a consequence of a high dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It may also play a role for the low incidence of thrombosis apparently found in Greenland Eskimos.