OT--Fatty Acid Balance May Modulate Bone Turnover Via Inflammation--GSDL

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This article is from Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab.

(RA 25+ years, AP since Nov. 97)

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Nutraceuticals: Getting More Fat On Your Bone

Fatty Acid Balance May Modulate Bone Turnover Via Inflammation

Exciting new research in the field of nutritional science is providing

strong evidence that when it comes to protecting your bones from the threat

of osteoporosis, your body may depend on a lot more than just " getting more

calcium " in your diet.

Fatty acids are among the nutrients starting to receive increased clinical

attention for the key role they play in influencing dynamics of bone

breakdown (resorption). In a recent review article, Dr. Bruce Watkins of the

Lipid Chemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory at Purdue University and

his co-authors highlight experimental evidence showing that omega-3 (n-3)

polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as fish oil) can significantly decrease

bone turnover rates.

Beneficial n-3 fats could work in concert with estrogen to stimulate bone

mineral deposits and slow the rate of breakdown, the authors write.

Increasing n-3 fat consumption, while decreasing consumption of omega-6

(n-6) fats (like arachidonic acid found in meat and dairy products), also

reduces the production of inflammatory mediators (PGE2). PGE2 can set off

chain reactions that degrade cartilage and spur heightened activity by

osteoclasts, the specialized cells associated with bone tissue breakdown.

These mechanisms may explain why n-3 fatty acid therapy has produced

positive clinical effects in patients with bone and joint diseases such as

rheumatoid arthritis, the authors point out, while also appearing to reduce

the risk of developing osteoporosis in other studies.

Based on this evidence, creating an optimal dietary ratio of n-6 to n-3 fats

offers the most promising potential for treating bone and inflammatory joint

disease in the near future, Dr. Watkins suggested at a recent panel

discussion on nutraceutical medicine held at Duke University.

One of the challenges is to drastically reduce (by at least half, he

suggests) the bloated 20:1 ratio of n-6/n-3 fats that currently comprises

the modern Western diet.

" If we look at our food supply over the last 100 years, there is now more

n-6s than n-3s, not only in fish and vegetables, but also in animal foods

because of the way food animals are raised. Today there are fewer n-3s in

poultry and swine, " Dr. Watkins points out.

Other experts on the panel stressed the promising potential of other

nutrients that could modulate bone loss via their impact on skeletal

biology. These included inulin, frucutooligosaccharides, soy protein, and

other substances that could increase calcium absorption in the gut.

Such approaches could be vital for battling bone loss, because dietary

calcium, by itself, " explains only about 10% of the variability in calcium

balance [among individuals and groups], " observes Dr. P. Heaney, a

researcher who specializes in calcium regulation and bone density.

NOTE: The Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis provides an objective

clinical indicator for evaluating fatty acid interventions to improve the

n-6/n-3 ratio, with the ultimate goal of preventing or ameliorating symptoms

of bone and joint diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders,

and many other chronic conditions driven by inflammation.

The Bone Resorption Assessment measures pyridinium crosslinks that indicate

the rate of bone and cartilage turnover. These specific markers were used to

monitor the efficacy of fatty acid therapy on bone loss in the research

cited in the above review study.

The Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis and the Intestinal Permeability

Assessment are pivotal gastrointestinal diagnostic tools for evaluating the

gut's ability to absorb nutrients properly. Optimizing absorptive function

allows patients to receive the full clinical benefit of preventive nutrient

therapies.

Source: Watkins BA, Li Y, Seifert MF. Nutraceutical fatty acids as

biochemical and molecular modulators or skeletal biology. Am J Clin Nutr

2001;20(5):410S-420S.

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