Impact of modernization on oxidative stress among indigenous populations in northern Laos

To explore the impact of modernization on oxidative stress during a momentous health transition process, we investigated differences in oxidative stress among the indigenous populations of villages in northern Laos with different levels of modernization.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 380 adults in three villages with different levels of modernization. Three biomarkers related to oxidative stress were measured: urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 8-isoprostane concentrations (both measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry), and blood telomere length (measured with qPCR). We examined associations between village-level modernization and oxidative stress-related biomarkers in a multilevel analysis including a random effect and covariates.

The geometric means of urinary 8-OHdG and 8-isoprostane concentrations were 2.92 and 0.700 μg/g creatinine, respectively, in our study population. Higher urinary 8-OHdG concentrations and shorter telomeres were observed in participants from the more modernized villages, whereas urinary 8-isoprostane concentrations did not differ significantly among villages.

Our findings imply that modernization-induced changes in lifestyle may increase oxidative DNA damage. Baseline levels of oxidative lipid damage are expected to be high in the indigenous populations of northern Laos. Assessments of oxidative stress may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of health transition in specific populations.