Healthy Roots Pilot StudyResults

FIRST NATIONS FOOD NUTRITION AND ENVIRONMENT FORUM

KELLY GORDON, RD

SIX NATIONS HEALTH SERVICES

NOV 6, 2019

How the research project came to life:

The study design

u Participants recruited into the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds

u Prospective, pan-Canadian study of Canadians designed to uncover early causes of stroke and dementia

u For 3 months, participants entering the Healthy Roots Research Study were asked to eat and go about life as usual, after which time, they were to begin the program

u The 3-month “pre-study” period was a comparator against which their progress during Healthy Roots was assessed

The study design

“Control” Period “Healthy Roots” Period

≈ 3 months 3 months

BloodUrineStool

Food diaryMRI

Health Q’s

BloodUrineStool

Food diaryMRI

Health Q’s

BloodUrineStool

Food diaryMRI

Health Q’s

Healthy Roots: Who

u We recruited 22 participants from the 6 Nations community

u also enrolled in the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds

Healthy Roots Food List

Healthy Roots food baskets:

What changed during Healthy Roots?

AS NUTRIENTS…

The Healthy Roots diet…

uWas higher in protein and polyunsaturated fats

uWas lower in refined carbohydrate (sugar and starch)

uWas lower in saturated and trans fatsuWas higher in potassium uWas lower in sodium

Physical changes

THINGS THAT WE COULD SEE

Body weight

-12-10

-8-6-4-20246

kg

Pre-Study Post-Study

-2.6 kg (5.2 lb)(2.6% loss)

-15

-10

-5

0

5cm

Waist circumference

Pre-Study Post-Study

-5.3 cm (2.1 in)(4.8% loss)

Body Circumferences

-6-5-4-3-2-10

cm

Arm Chest Neck Thigh Calf Waist Hip

-16.5 cm (6.4 in)(3.2% loss)

-4.1 cm

-0.9 cm -0.8 cm -0.9 cm

-1.8 cm

-5.3 cm

-2.7 cm

On healthy roots, weight was lost from many areas of the body• Including belly fat, which is the most harmful to health

Physiological changes

THINGS INSIDE THAT WE CAN’T SEE OR FEEL

-14-12-10

-8-6-4-20246

VOLU

ME

(ML)

Visceral fat volume

Pre-Study Post-Study

-6.4 ml(6.1% loss)

Most lost weight where it matters- from the belly • Fat around internal organs raises your risk of heart disease

-35-30-25-20-15-10

-505

10He

patic

Fat

Fra

ctio

n (%

)

Hepatic Fat Fraction

Pre-Study Post-Study

-3.0% fraction(22.8% loss)

Most lost weight where it matters- from the liver• Fat around liver may cause long term problems

-0.80%

-0.70%

-0.60%

-0.50%

-0.40%

-0.30%

-0.20%

-0.10%

0.00%%

gly

cosly

ate

d

HbA1c

Pre-Study Post-Study

-0.30%(6.3% fall)

The average blood sugar on Healthy Roots was improved• Lower over the 3 months of program than before it

Physiological changes

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GUT BACTERIA?

Microbiome – Composition

On Healthy Roots…• The amount of firmicutes in your gut decreased• The amount of bacteroidetes increased• The amount of actinobacteria decreased

Microbiome - Diversity

On Healthy Roots…• The variety of type of bacteria in the gut increased

Results from our journey…

u Favourable changes in measures of body size and adiposity, favourable changes in glycemic control, improvement in sense of well-being and happiness and no major negative gastrointestinal symptoms

u Addresses Indigenous social determinates of health: reconnection to land, culture and identity- reclamation/revitalization for Indigenous peoples

u Incorporates a non-diet/weight focus- statistics seem to focus on diet/weight change, but the entire study focuses more on body, mind and spirit supporting wellbeing- Our Haudenosaunee food is so much more than a physical impactor

u Demonstrates novel and/or sustainable partnerships and collaboration- this community-based participatory research was driven by our community, long standing research relationship but first time the question was driven by our community