Exploring the Nutrition Diet: Why didn't Eskimos get scurvy?

November 1, 2025 •

5 min read

While European explorers famously suffered from scurvy on long sea voyages, indigenous Arctic peoples, with a diet rich in animal products and minimal vegetation, remained healthy. The answer to why didn't Eskimos get scurvy lies in their sophisticated traditional diet and food preparation methods, which maximized essential nutrient intake in a challenging environment.

Quick Summary

Indigenous Arctic communities, like the Inuit, avoided scurvy by consuming fresh, raw animal parts rich in vitamin C, such as organ meats and whale skin, while cooked and preserved foods were less relied upon.

Key Points

Raw Animal Foods are Key: The traditional Inuit diet provided vitamin C from fresh, raw animal sources, which preserved the heat-sensitive nutrient.
Organ Meats are Rich in Vitamin C: Unlike muscle meat, organs like liver, adrenal glands, and brain of marine and land animals contain significant amounts of vitamin C.
Muktuk was a Primary Source: The skin and blubber of whales, known as muktuk, was a particularly rich source of vitamin C for the Inuit.
Less Competition for Cellular Uptake: The low-carbohydrate nature of the traditional Inuit diet may have reduced the body's vitamin C requirement, as there was less glucose competing for the same transporters.
Preservation through Freezing: Freezing preserved the vitamin C content in fresh foods, in contrast to the salting and drying methods used by European explorers that degraded the vitamin.
Contrast with European Explorers: The difference in scurvy rates between Inuit and European explorers was a direct result of their disparate diets and food processing methods.

The Scurvy Riddle and Arctic Exploration

For centuries, scurvy remained a mysterious and devastating affliction for European sailors and explorers who embarked on long journeys. The disease, caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), led to symptoms including bleeding gums, lethargy, open wounds, and ultimately, death. Scurvy became a rite of passage for polar explorers, with many expeditions ending in tragedy due to malnutrition. Yet, the local inhabitants of the same regions, such as the Inuit, thrived on a diet consisting almost exclusively of meat and fish. The contrast between the vitamin C deficiency of the explorers and the health of the Inuit posed a significant puzzle for early scientists and continues to fascinate nutrition experts today.

The key distinction lay not in the presence of citrus fruits, but in the quality and preparation of the food consumed. The explorers' diet relied heavily on preserved, cooked rations like biscuits and salted meat, which had all but zero vitamin C content. The traditional Inuit diet, by contrast, tapped into hidden sources of vitamin C, and their cultural practices ensured its preservation and consumption.

The Vitamin C Powerhouses of the Arctic Diet

Contrary to popular belief, certain animal products do contain vitamin C, particularly when consumed fresh and raw. The traditional Inuit diet, known as 'country food,' featured specific parts of hunted animals that are surprisingly rich in the nutrient. Here are some of the primary sources:

Muktuk: Considered a delicacy, muktuk is the skin and blubber of whales, especially the beluga whale. The epidermis of muktuk is a notable source of vitamin C, with one study documenting it as a significant contributor to daily intake.
Organ Meats: While muscle meat has very little vitamin C, the organs are a different story. The liver, adrenal glands, and other internal organs of animals like caribou and seals contain measurable amounts of vitamin C. A traditional practice of consuming these parts raw and fresh was critical.
Brain and Eyes: The brain of marine mammals and the eyes of seals were also a source of vitamin C in the traditional diet.
Raw Fish: Fresh, raw fish, particularly the roe (fish eggs), can contain small but bioavailable amounts of vitamin C.
Kelp: While most of the diet was animal-based, the Inuit did supplement with some foraged plant matter, including kelp, which is a plant source of vitamin C.

The Crucial Difference: Raw vs. Cooked

Perhaps the most important factor in the Inuit's protection from scurvy was their method of food preparation. Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that is highly sensitive to heat. Cooking and boiling meat and vegetables, as European explorers did, effectively destroys its vitamin C content. The Inuit, however, consumed many parts of their hunt raw or lightly cooked, which preserved the delicate nutrient.

This practice meant that even small quantities of vitamin C in animal tissues were bioavailable and could be absorbed by the body. The cold Arctic climate also naturally preserved frozen food, preventing the vitamin C from degrading over time, a benefit that explorers' salted and dried meat lacked.

The Low-Carbohydrate Advantage

Another hypothesis suggests that the low-carbohydrate nature of the traditional Inuit diet played a role in reducing the body's need for vitamin C. Both glucose (from carbohydrates) and vitamin C compete for the same transport proteins to enter cells.

In a typical Western diet, high in carbohydrates, glucose can outcompete vitamin C for cellular uptake. This means more vitamin C is required to ensure adequate absorption.
On a traditional Inuit diet, with a minimal carbohydrate load, there is less glucose to compete with vitamin C. The body's efficiency in absorbing vitamin C is therefore higher, allowing a lower overall intake to be sufficient.

This biochemical quirk, combined with the intentional consumption of raw, nutrient-rich animal parts, provided a robust defense against scurvy. The nutritional intake was not necessarily high by modern standards, but it was enough to stave off deficiency.

Traditional Diet vs. Modern Changes

The stark contrast between the traditional Inuit diet and the diet of European explorers provides valuable lessons in nutrition. Here is a comparison:


Feature	Traditional Inuit Diet	European Explorer Diet
Primary Food Source	Fresh, raw animal products (meat, fish, organs, muktuk)	Preserved, cooked rations (salted meat, biscuits)
Vitamin C Content	Present in key foods (organs, muktuk), preserved by raw consumption	Destroyed by cooking and preservation methods
Carbohydrate Load	Very low, as fat provided most energy	High in preserved grains, low in fresh nutrients
Health Outcome	Historically, free from scurvy	Widespread scurvy, illness, and death

It is important to note that the dietary patterns of many indigenous Arctic communities have changed over time due to contact with Western culture. The introduction of processed foods and a reduction in traditional hunting practices have led to a decline in nutritional status and, in some cases, an increase in vitamin C deficiency. This shift highlights the importance of the traditional diet in maintaining health in the Arctic.

The Nutritional Wisdom of Tradition

The traditional Inuit diet was a masterful example of adapting nutrition to a hostile environment. By utilizing every part of the hunted animal and consuming it with minimal processing, they secured a steady, albeit low, supply of vital vitamin C. Their practices illustrate a profound understanding of nutritional needs, honed over centuries of survival. While modern science has illuminated the mechanisms behind their scurvy prevention, the core lesson remains: fresh, whole foods, regardless of source, provide essential nutrients that highly processed or preserved alternatives often lack. The ingenuity of the traditional Inuit diet provides a fascinating chapter in the history of human nutrition and adaptation.

Conclusion

The question of why didn't Eskimos get scurvy is answered by examining their traditional diet, which strategically sourced and preserved vitamin C from fresh animal parts. Key food items like muktuk, raw organ meats, and brain contained sufficient ascorbic acid to prevent deficiency. The practice of eating these foods raw or frozen was paramount, as cooking destroys vitamin C. Furthermore, the low-carbohydrate nature of their diet may have reduced their overall vitamin C requirement by minimizing competition with glucose for cellular absorption. This combination of intelligent dietary choices and metabolic adaptation allowed indigenous Arctic populations to thrive where others perished from malnutrition.

Frequently Asked Questions

While the vitamin C content in raw muscle meat is low, the organs, skin, and certain fatty tissues of freshly killed animals, consumed raw, can provide sufficient amounts. Cooking, however, significantly destroys this vitamin.

European explorers typically ate salted, preserved, and cooked meat, which lacked vitamin C. The cooking and preservation processes destroyed the vitamin, leaving their diet deficient.

Key sources of vitamin C in the traditional Inuit diet included muktuk (whale skin), raw liver from caribou and seal, seal brain, and kelp.

The low-carbohydrate theory, which suggests a reduced vitamin C requirement, is a contributing hypothesis supported by some biochemical evidence. However, the intake of vitamin C-rich raw foods is widely accepted as the primary reason.

Many modern Inuit populations have adopted Westernized diets, leading to a decline in the consumption of traditional foods. This dietary shift has sometimes resulted in an increase in vitamin C deficiency.

While the traditional Inuit diet is not directly applicable for most, the underlying principle of prioritizing fresh, whole foods and consuming less processed items is valuable. Focus on a varied diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and, if you eat meat, fresh organs or wild-caught fish, prepared with minimal heat to preserve nutrients.

Eating raw meat carries a risk of bacterial contamination, including Salmonella and E. coli. This practice is not recommended for the average person and is a cultural adaptation to specific environments and food sources.