title: [Not Available].
abstract: Several studies have reported that the status in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and the omega-3/omega-6 PUFA ratio are positively related to bone health. This study aimed at examining the relationship between the status of different PUFAs and bone strength expressed by the stiffness index (SI) among indigenous women in northern Canada and Greenland, whose diets are rich in PUFAs compared to those of non-Aboriginals. Our study includes 118 Inuit women from Nuuk (Greenland), 195 Inuit women from Nunavik (Canada), and 249 Cree women of from East James Bay (Canada). Projects in Nunavik and in the Cree communities had a cross-sectional design and the Greenland project, a longitudinal design. The content of some PUFAs phospholipids of erythrocyte membranes was measured after transmethylation by gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector. Stiffness index was measured by ultrasound at the right calcaneus with a water-bath Achilles Lunar instrument (Greenland) or an Achilles Insight instrument (Nunavik, East James Bay). Relations between SI and various PUFAs were studied using multiple linear regression analyses. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was positively and significantly associated with SI (log), even after adjustment for several confounders and covariates in all three projects. A high EPA status, resulting mainly from the consumption of fatty fish or marine mammal fat, seems to have a positive effect on bone strength measured by ultrasonography among Aboriginal women from three different populations.
authors.affiliation: a Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, 2875, boulevard Laurier, Édifice Delta 2 - Bureau 600, Québec, QC G1V 2M2, Canada.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Paunescu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayotte
authors.forename: É
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Dewailly
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dodin
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006365:Heel / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid