title: The effect of docosahexaenoic acid on bone microstructure in young mice and bone fracture in neonates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As low bone mineral density is a risk factor for fracture in childhood, optimizing age appropriate bone mass is recommended and might lower the impact of bone loss related to age. Consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids have been shown to beneficially modulate bone metabolism. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of fracture in neonates receiving a fish compared with soybean oil-based intravenous lipid emulsion and evaluate the effect of varying dietary omega-3 PUFA consumption on growing bone in young mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligibility criteria for the clinical study included gestational age ≤37 wk and parenteral nutrition-dependence for ≥4 wk. Radiographs were reviewed after lipid initiation to identify radiologic bone fracture. The animal study evaluated female C57/Bl6 mice randomized into one of five groups from age 3-12 wk, at which time femurs were harvested for micro-computed tomography and light microscopy analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A lower incidence of bone fracture was found in neonates maintained on fish compared with soybean oil. In the animal study, findings suggest the DHA diet provides the best protection against trabecular bone loss as evidenced by increased bone volume fraction, increased trabecular number, and decreased trabecular separation on micro-computed tomography. These protective effects appeared to affect the bone microstructure alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lower fracture risk observed in fish oil fed neonates in combination with the protective effects of DHA observed in the femurs of young C57/BL6 mice suggest an important role for omega-3 PUFAs on bone growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and the Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Erica M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Fallon
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Ara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nazarian
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and the Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Deepika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nehra
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and the Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Amy H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and the Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Alison A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: O'Loughlin
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Vania
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nose
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and the Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: mark.puder@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D001846:Bone Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013024:Soybean Oil / Q000494:pharmacology; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D013024:Soybean Oil; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid
keywords: Bone; Bone microstructure; Docosahexaenoic acid; Fish oil; Fracture; Murine; Neonate; Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids