Abstract
The Gidra-speaking people of lowland Papua New Guinea basically subsist on local foods by exploitation of sago, slash-and-burn horticulture, hunting, fishing, and gathering. To evaluate the trace element nutrition of the Gidra, trace element intakes were calculated, and the concentrations of trace elements in hair and serum were measured in four villages. The composition of the foods consumed in these villages differed according to their ecological conditions such as environmental availability, subsistence technology and purchasing ability. Accordingly, intake levels and hair and serum concentrations of trace elements differed among the villages. In comparison with developed countries, a conspicuous characteristic of trace element levels in hair and serum of the Gidra was lower zinc concentrations. On the other hand, although the pattern of trace element intake by the Gidra differed from that of developed countries, the level of zinc intake was not sufficiently low to explain the low hair and serum zinc levels. These contradictory results are attributable to the high intake of crude fiber and iron, which are known to inhibit zinc absorption.
