Geographical variations in the carbon isotope composition of the diet and hair in contemporary man

Abstract

Geographic variations in the carbon isotope composition of the human diet and human hair were investigated. The carbon isotopic composition of common foodstuffs purchased in Chicago, USA, Tokyo, Japan and Munich, FRG, were determined by combustion and differential isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The dietary protein carbon for the United States (-18.1%) was calculated to be enriched in 13C relative to the Japanese (-21.2%) and the German (-23.6%) diets. To a large degree, the differences reflected the consumption of corn-fed animal products in the United States and Japan, as well as seafood in Japan. The carbon isotopic composition of hair (-16.4, -18.0 and -20.4%) for the three respective populations correlated with the calculated values of the dietary protein, but were 2-3% enriched in 13C. Changes in the isotopic composition of beard hair were shown to record the changes in dietary composition in travelers visiting the respective regions.

Recent developments in the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry in sports drug testing

“…Shortly after, results on humans were reported, showing the correlation of CIR to diet and hair together with 13 C values of diet [103]. It took quite a long time until the relationship between diet and CIR of steroids was investigated.…”

“…Presumably, the reasons for these variations are due to the different eating habits together with the differing isotopic composition of food in various parts of the world [103]. Depleted CIR of steroids of a group of vegetarians mainly eating soy products have also been reported [74].…”

The Inka mummy from Mount Aconcagua: Decoding the geographic origin of the ?Messenger to the Deities? by means of stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope analysis

“…Under conditions of controlled diet, the values measured on hair have been up to 1‰ more positive than that of the diet (Minson et al, 1975;DeNiro and Epstein, 1978;Jones et al, 1981;Tieszen et al, 1983). In the case of natural feeding, fractionation has been greater, around 1.3 and 3.4‰ (Nakamura et al, 1982;Schoeller et al, 1986;Katzenberg and Krouse, 1989;White, 1993). Hair can be a useful tool for detecting seasonal variations in diet due to its short turnover rate relative to other tissues.…”

Concentrations of Radiocarbon and Isotope Compositions of Stable Carbon in Food

“…In this estimation, the C 3 value was taken from that of barley (−27.8‰), 17) and C 4 value was done from average value of corns (−11.4‰). 17,18) The result showed that happo-shu was containing more subingredient of C 4 plant, e.g. cornstarch, than beer (Fig.…”

“…Nakamura reported geographic variations in the δ 13 C value of human diet and hair. 18) In his report, the δ 13 C value of human hair strongly reflected the consumption of corn-fed animal foodstuff. Corn is known as a typical feed grain for chicken, too.…”