A study examines the relationship between socioeconomic status and dietary protein sources. Animal-feeding operations have increased the mass production and availability of animal protein in the United States. To determine whether socioeconomic status (SES) is related to dietary divergence in the United States, James Ehleringer and colleagues collected discarded hair found in trash bins from barbershops and salons across 20 US states and analyzed the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in the hair. The authors determined that the collected hair represented samples from 684 individuals. The two primary sources of dietary protein in the samples were identified as animal-derived proteins and plant-derived proteins. Next, the authors correlated the isotope information in the hair samples with US census SES data. Compared with plant-derived proteins, corn-fed animal-derived proteins were more common in the diets of individuals from low SES populations. Animal-derived proteins accounted for 57% of diets on average, and, in areas with low SES, they accounted for as much as 75% of diets. The findings suggest that consumption of corn-fed animal proteins is more common among low SES populations than high SES populations, putting low SES populations at a potentially heightened risk of illness, according to the authors.
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Article #19-14087: "Stable isotopes in hair reveal dietary protein sources with links to socioeconomic status and health," by James R. Ehleringer, Stephannie Covarrubias Avalos, Brett J. Tipple, Luciano O. Valenzuela, and Thure E. Cerling.
MEDIA CONTACT: James R. Ehleringer, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; tel: 801-971-6004; email: jim.ehleringer@utah.edu
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences