title: Consumption of different sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids by growing female rats affects long bone mass and microarchitecture.
abstract: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) consumption has been reported to improve bone health. However, sources of ω-3 PUFAs differ in the type of fatty acids and structural form. The study objective was to determine the effect of various ω-3 PUFAs sources on bone during growth. Young (age 28d) female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned (n=10/group) to a high fat 12% (wt) diet consisting of either corn oil (CO) or ω-3 PUFA rich, flaxseed (FO), krill (KO), menhaden (MO), salmon (SO) or tuna (TO) for 8 weeks. Bone mass was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bone microarchitecture by micro-computed tomography (μCT). Bone turnover markers were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Lipid peroxidation was measured by calorimetric assays. Results showed that rats fed TO, rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6ω-3) had higher (P<0.009) tibial bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) and lower (P=0.05) lipid peroxidation compared to the CO-fed rats. Reduced lipid peroxidation was associated with increased tibial BMD (r2=0.08, P=0.02) and BMC (r2=0.71, P=0.01). On the other hand, rats fed FO or MO, rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3ω-3), improved bone microarchitecture compared to rats fed CO or SO. Serum osteocalcin was higher (P=0.03) in rats fed FO compared to rats fed SO. Serum osteocalcin was associated with improved trabecular bone microarchitecture. The animal study results suggest consuming a variety of ω-3 PUFA sources to promote bone health during the growth stage.
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition and Foods, Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lukas
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gigliotti
authors.forename: Brenda J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: Janet C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tou
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003314:Corn Oil / Q000494:pharmacology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology; D008043:Linseed Oil / Q000494:pharmacology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D008043:Linseed Oil; D003314:Corn Oil