Search results for omega 3 fatty acids

No bones about it: the best things in life are sea

Posted by Liz on May 28, 2010 in bone health, diet | 3 comments

Did you know that eating fish that live in the sea might help boost bone health and density? Although most of the attention on the link between osteoporosis and diet has focused on calcium, milk and soy, a few studies suggest that other nutrients, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-3s, may also play a role.

According to novel research published in the journal Osteoporosis International,  a greater intake of sea fish, but not shellfish or freshwater fish, is linked to as much as almost a 7% increase in bone-mineral density and an almost 10% increase in bone mass in general and in the hip areas in particular. On average, the women studied, all of whom were menopausal, were eating about .8 ounces of sea fish a day — about 16% of their total daily protein intake, and about 2 ounces daily of sea fish and shellfish combined. Factors like body weight, smoking, and alcohol did not appear to influence the association between fish from the sea and bone benefits. (Note – the study did not specifically address the exact types of fish that they women were eating other than to say, it wasn’t freshwater or shellfish.)

Interestingly, prior studies have found similar links between higher bone mineral density and a high consumption of seafood among menopausal women. Researchers say that a higher intake of fish versus animal protein or low quality foods may account, at least in part, for the higher bone mass.And while they are unable to offer any reasonable explanation for why sea fish, especially the oily types like salmon or mackerel or tuna benefit bone health while freshwater fish does not, they say that it might be due to the high level of vitamin D , which has long been associated with favorable bone mass. Omega-3 fatty acids are also thought to play important roles.

The take-away on this is to eat more fish from the sea. Clearly, environmental concerns, like overfishing and high level of mercury, may influence your seafood selection, however, Seafood Watch offers some great resources how to make safe and careful choices.  What I love about this information is that it not only serves to encourage healthier eating, which can help keep those pounds away (My friend Danielle Omar wrote a great guest post about sea veggies and weight about a month ago), but also provides another strategy for keeping bones healthy as we age. Yup, the best things in life are sea.

Osteoporosis: what’s the 411?

Posted by Liz on Feb 19, 2010 in bone health, osteoporosis | 0 comments

Osteoporosis and low bone mineral density are well-known issues for menopausal women. As women enter the early stages of menopause, their bones lose their ability to retain their mass and manufacture new bone tissue, resulting in bone loss and increasing the risk for osteoporosis and its deleterious effects. What’s more, experts estimate that by the time a woman reaches the age of 50, she has a 40% risk of suffering a fracture due to osteoporosis for the rest of her lifetime. Besides the discomfort, hip fractures in women lead to a loss of mobility, a need for long-term care and even death. No bones about it; osteoporosis is no laughing matter.

Risk factors that contribute to a loss of bone mineral density are varied and include age, genetics, low calcium/vitamin D intake, body weight and menopause status. However, osteoporosis is a mixed bag and there are several underlying conditions that can also contribute to its severity:

• Medications (e.g. heparin, anticonvulsants, progesterone, chemotherapy agents)
• Parathyroid hormone (which regulates  how calcium is used in the body – released in urine, absorbed in diet and stored in bones)
• Calcium imbalance due to excessive calcium excretion, aka “hypercalciuria,” Vitamin D deficiencies

Before I move into the land of boredom, there is a reason why I’m sharing some of the facts about osteoporosis, which BTW are readily available on the National Osteoporosis Foundation website (if you’ve not perused the site, I strongly encourage you to do so!): there is an indication that your practitioner might not be looking for these important secondary causes! Moreover, sometimes they are not even readily apparent.

Writing in the journal Menopause, researchers studying 204 menopausal women say that they’ve discovered that among the various factors that influence a woman’s risk for low bone density, several impact severity:

• Low vitamin D levels (82% of women in this study had below optimal levels)
• Elevated parathyroid hormone levels (35% of women in the study) — (leads to too much calcium in the blood and a loss of calcium from bones)
• Unusually high calcium excretion (20% of women in the study)
• High bone turnover rates (41% of women in the study) — (high bone turnover refers to an increase in  the breakdown, or resorption of bone without a compensation for the repair of bone, leading to compromised strength, thinning, brittleness and fractures)

There are a number of dietary and lifestyle strategies to prevent osteoporosis, including incorporating Vitamin D and calcium supplementation, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids into the diet, and increasing physical activity. More recent findings suggest that beer, onions and even flaxseed may be effective (although more research is needed). Meanwhile, if you’ve recently learnt that your bone mineral density is low (or that you’ve actually developed osteoporosis) you need to speak to your practitioner about some of these other markers. Knowledge is power and the more you know, the greater the likelihood that you can start incorporating treatment now to prevent further bone deterioration.

That’s the 411. No bones about it!

Seeds of change, part 2: flaxseed oil and bone health

Posted by Liz on Dec 7, 2009 in bone health | 0 comments

Last year I wrote a post about the promising effects of flaxseed — a plant-based estrogen–  on hot flashes.  Flaxseed contains antioxidants with weak estrogen properties (lignans) and omega-3 fatty acids. It is also an excellent source of fiber. In addition to its potential ability to reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes, it might also be a valuable tool for both heart disease prevention and  boosting the effects of breast cancer therapies.

Another potential use of flaxseed, namely the oil, is to reduce osteoporosis risk. In an animal study published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, researchers analyzed how the addition of flaxseed oil to the diet of 70 diabetic rats (30 of which had had their ovaries removed) might affect bone health. Note that while studies have shown a clear link between type 1 diabetes and osteoporosis, the evidence is not quite as clear for type 2. Nevertheless, both types of diabetes have been linked with an increased risk for fractures.

After two months, insulin-like growth factor and osteocalcin ( a bone-creating protein) were increased in rats who received the flaxseed oil in their diet. In fact, the levels of these two markers actually reached normal. On the other hand, levels of a marker that actually breaks down bone, fell. The research team attributed the positive effects of flaxseed oil to its omega-3 component.

Certainly, studies are needed in humans to truly determine if flaxseed oil can have a beneficial effect on bone health, especially in post-menopausal women who also have diabetes. In the meantime, it can’t hurt to add a bit of flaxseed oil to your diet. A little prevention may go a long way towards protecting those bones!

Bad to da bone, part 2

Posted by Liz on Mar 20, 2009 in bone health | 2 comments

Is there any way to prevent bone loss after menopause? It is possible that eating the proper balance of dietary fats (i.e. omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids) may help.

In a study published a few years ago in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, researchers assessed bone mineral content and bone density in female rats. These measures are used to determine how much bone loss you have in a particular area and the risk for developing osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Foundation provides an excellent summary.

In the study, half the rats had their ovaries removed (leading to a rapid decline in estrogen and subsequent bone loss) and half remained intact. They were then fed diets with different ratios of omega-3s and omega-6s. After 12 weeks, data showed that rats with the lowest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in their diets had significantly less bone loss and a higher bone mineral density, even in the absence of estrogen. This translated to significantly lower bone loss.

Omega-6 fatty acids are most commonly found in foods such as vegetables oils, nuts,  seeds and eggs while omega-3 fatty acids are more commonly found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel),  nuts (walnuts) and certain vegetable oils. Notably,  eating both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids has been shown to lower the risk of heart and possibly other diseases. However, research continues to point to balance.

These particular findings may be due to the ability of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the production of inflammatory compounds that associated with the breaking down or “resorption” of bones. Estrogen provides a similar protective effect but after its decline, the body becomes more vulnerable.

While researchers caution that the study results cannot be translated to humans, they certainly look promising.

It’s all about balance, right?!

Something’s fishy

Posted by Liz on Dec 12, 2008 in bone health, heart disease, hot flash | 5 comments

A small study in the online edition of the journal Menopause suggests that a supplement containing  omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce hot flashes in menopausal women.

Canadian researchers evaluated the influence of omega-3 supplementation in 120 women (between the ages of 40 and 55) experiencing hot flashes who took either a real pill containing oeicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or dummy pill for 8 weeks.  At the start, study participants had an average of 2.8 hot flashes daily.

At the study’s end, women taking omega-3 fatty acids had 1.5 times fewer hot flashes daily compared to women taking dummy pills, whose hot flash frequency decline by 50%. Hot flash severity, however, remained similar between the groups and the use of omega-3s did not impact mood or other quality of life factors.

Although the researchers caution that more study is needed, it’s important to note that earlier data do suggest that omega-3s may be useful in reducing hot flashes.  Regardless, the benefits of incorporating omega-3s in midlife, which include potential protection against heart disease and osteroporosis, should not be overlooked.