According to a recent study conducted at Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden, omega-3 fatty acids—and particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—can contribute to developing peak bone growth in healthy, young men. The results of this research were published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (see http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/3/803).
The study involved 78 healthy young men with an initial age of about 16 to 17. Researchers measured bone mineral density of each participant’s total body, hip and spine at their starting age and again at 22 and 24 years of age. They also measured fatty-acid concentrations in the subjects at 22 years of age.
Results showed that concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids were positively associated with total and spinal bone mass density during the course of the study—from about age 16 to 22 for the subjects. The researchers noted a particular benefit in the subjects from DHA. Therefore, the researchers concluded that “omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, are positively associated with bone mineral accrual and, thus, with peak BMD in young men.”
DHA naturally occurs in some types of cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, shellfish and sardines. It is also extracted from some types of microalgae, and exists in eggs and some organ meats to a lesser degree.