Omega-3's bone health benefits underlined in hip fracture meta-analysis

By Gary Scattergood

- Last updated on GMT

Fish consumption and dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs might have protective effects on bone health. ©iStock
Fish consumption and dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs might have protective effects on bone health. ©iStock
Higher intake of fish and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) is linked to a lower risk of hip fractures.

A new systematic review and meta-analysis undertaken by academics at the University of Larestan in Iran sought to evaluate the association of fish consumption and dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs with hip fractures after previous findings were conflicting.

In total, 10 studies (seven prospective and 3 case-control studies) were included in the systematic review, and nine studies with total sample size of 292,657 participants were included in the meta-analysis.

The age of participants was 20 years or older.

Significant association

They found that combining effect sizes from four prospective studies and two case-control studies revealed a significant inverse association between fish consumption and risk of hip fracture (pooled effect size: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79-0.98, P = 0.02).

The researchers wrote in the journal Critical Reviews in food Science and Nutrition​ that a significant inverse association was found in prospective studies with sample size of 10000 individuals or more, and studies that considered body mass index as a covariate.

Furthermore, dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs was inversely associated with risk of hip fracture (pooled effect size: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80-0.99, P = 0.02).

The same relationship was seen after excluding one case-control study and combining effect sizes only from prospective studies (pooled effect size: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.80-0.98, P = 0.02).

“In conclusion, we found that fish consumption and dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs might have protective effects on bone health and decline the risk of hip fracture,”​ they added.

Source: Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 

https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2017.1405908

"Dietary intake of fish, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of hip fracture: A systematic review and meta-analysis on observational studies."

Authors: Omid Sadeghi, et al.

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