A genetic variation present in 2 to 3% of Greenland’s population makes them metabolize sugar differently and offers health benefits. According to a new study, gut bacteria and a unique diet that has nourished Greenlanders for millennia have provided them with a genetic variation that offers an incredible advantage. Two copies of a gene variant make it so that they absorb sugar differently than other people do. “Adult Greenlanders with the genetic variation have lower BMI, weight, fat percentage, cholesterol levels and are generally significantly healthier. They have less belly fat and might find it easier to get a six pack. It is amazing and surprising that a genetic variation has such a profoundly beneficial effect,” says University of Copenhagen biology professor Anders Albrechtsen. Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency Albrechtsen and colleagues analyzed data from 6,551 adult Greenlanders and conducted experiments on mice. As reported in the journal Gastroenterology, the results show that carriers …