Assessing geographic controls of hair isotopic variability in human populations: A case-study in Canada

PLoS One. 2020 Aug 10;15(8):e0237105. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237105. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Studying the isotope variability in fast-growing human tissues (e.g., hair, nails) is a powerful tool to investigate human nutrition. However, interpreting the controls of this isotopic variability at the population scale is often challenging as multiple factors can superimpose on the isotopic signals of a current population. Here, we analyse carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur isotopes in hair from 590 Canadian resident volunteers along with demographics, dietary and geographic information about each participant. We use a series of machine-learning regressions to demonstrate that the isotopic values in Canadian residents' hair are not only influenced by dietary choices but by geographic controls. First, we show that isotopic values in Canadian residents' hair have a limited range of variability consistent with the homogenization of Canadian dietary habits (as in other industrialized countries). As expected, some of the isotopic variability within the population correlates with recorded individual dietary choices. More interestingly, some regional spatial patterns emerge from carbon and sulphur isotope variations. The high carbon isotope composition of the hair of eastern Canadians relative to that of western Canadians correlates with the dominance of corn in the eastern Canadian food-industry. The gradient of sulphur isotope composition in Canadian hair from coast to inland regions correlates with the increasing soil pH and decreasing deposition of marine-derived sulphate aerosols in local food systems. We conclude that part of the isotopic variability found in the hair of Canadian residents reflects the isotopic signature associated with specific environmental conditions and agricultural practices of regional food systems transmitted to humans through the high consumption rate of intra-provincial food in Canada. Our study also underscores the strong potential of sulphur isotopes as tracers of human and food provenance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biological Variation, Population*
  • Canada
  • Carbon Isotopes / analysis*
  • Diet / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Hair / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis*
  • Sulfur Isotopes / analysis*

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Sulfur Isotopes

Grants and funding

Funding: C.P.B. and F.R. acknowledge funding from Canadian Security and Safety Program Targeted Investment (CSSP-2018-TI-2385). G.S.J and M.M.G.C. acknowledge funding from the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Research & Technology Initiative (CRTI 08-0116RD). Author contributions: C.P.B. G.S.J and M.M.G.C designed the project and analyzed the data sets. C.P.B. and F.R. performed the statistical analysis and model development steps. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the results and writing of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from the authors.