CANHR researchers will also look at how polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin K interact with warfarin among the Yup'ik people. Their marine-based diet is rich in the fatty acids, but not foods with a lot of vitamin K, which is commonly found in green, leafy vegetables. The fatty acids are believed to act as a blood-thinning agent while vitamin K encourages blood clotting, Boyer explained.

The project will also offer a chance to use an isotopic measurement tool developed by CANHR, said Diane O'Brien, a scientist at the center. Typically, researchers studying diet ask participants questions about what and how much they eat and analyze the answers. However, O'Brien found that the stable isotope nitrogen 15 can be found in hair and blood samples and is an accurate measurement of how much polyunsaturated fatty acids a person has eaten.

"It's a quick, inexpensive and easy way to measure fish intake," O'Brien said. "It was CANHR-developed and now being applied. It's exciting."

CANHR, part of the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology, was established in 2001 by a NIH National Center for Research Resources grant. CANHR's mission is to build and increase research capacity to improve Alaska Native health.