Bone growth is finite and peaks in early adulthood, followed by maintenance and then eventual decline in bone mass and density in older adults. In severe instances, loss of bone in older adults in women and men may lead to osteoporosis. One way to mitigate the decline and prevent osteoporosis is to enhance bone development to achieve higher peak bone mass. There is growing evidence for a role of omega-3 fatty acids in bone development. We have shown that EPA and DHA is associated with improved bone outcomes in growing mice.
Relevant publications from Ma Lab:
Beatrice Lau, Wendy E. Ward, Jing X. Kang and David W.L. Ma. Fat-1 gene modulates the fatty acid composition of femoral and vertebral phospholipids., APNM. 2010,35(4):447-455. PMID: 20725110.
Beatrice Lau, Wendy E. Ward, Jing X. Kang and David W.L. Ma. Femur EPA and DHA are correlated with femur biomechanical strength in young fat-1 mice. J Nutr Biochem. 2009 Jun;20(6):453-61. Epub 2008 Aug 15. PMID: 18708283.
Beatrice Lau, Wendy E. Ward, Jing X. Kang and David W.L. Ma. Vertebrae of developing fat-1 mice have greater strength and lower n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2009 Jun;234(6):632-8. PMID: 19307460.