Ds. Lin et We. Connor, Fecal steroids of the coprolite of a Greenland Eskimo mummy, AD 1475: a clue to dietary sterol intake, AM J CLIN N, 74(1), 2001, pp. 44-49
Background: Sterols in feces reflect sterols in the diet. in previous analy
ses of the fecal steroids in 1000-2000-y-old Native American coprolites fou
nd in the dry caves of Nevada, we showed that the sterol nucleus was stable
. The coprolites provided useful dietary information.
Objective: In the present study, we analyzed the fecal steroids of an Eskim
o mummy buried and frozen > 500 y ago in Greenland. We compared these analy
ses with our findings in the coprolites from Nevada and in present-day stoo
l samples from Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and Americans consuming low- an
d high-cholesterol diets.
Design: The fecal material from the Eskimo mummy was subjected to saponific
ation, extraction, and digitonin precipitation. The sterols and bile acids
were further analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and gas-liquid chromatog
raphy.
Results: The fecal steroids of the Greenland Eskimo mummy were remarkably s
imilar to those of present-day stool samples. However, unlike in the stool
of modern humans, a portion of the neutral steroids in the coprolite had be
en converted to sterol epimers. Instead of deoxycholic acid, 3 alpha ,6 bet
a ,12 alpha -trihydroxy- cholanic acid was one of the major fecal bile acid
s. The plant sterol output in the coprolite was only 0.4% of the output of
Americans consuming 250-400 mg plant sterols/d. The ratio of bile acid to c
holesterol in the coprolite was similar to that in stool from Tarahumara In
dians consuming a low-cholesterol diet.
Conclusion: The sterol nucleus is stable when frozen. The analysis of copro
lite showed that the young Eskimo woman had consumed a diet very low in pla
nt sterols and moderate to low in cholesterol content.