Whether we’re male or female, we can now protect our bones from thinning by eating at least three or more servings a week of fish, according to a new study. The oils in dark fish like mackerel, salmon and tuna have been linked with wellness and now this includes stronger bones too.
Serve it up
Research by the US’s North-eastern University shows that when it comes to making our shopping list we should remember to include dark fish in our weekly shop for the sake of our wellbeing. The study looked at the diets of 600 men and women, then compared what they ate with their hip density measurements. Bones become brittle as we age because our bone density tails off in our 30s, which is when we can start to lose bone mass. When it gets too low then we get diagnosed with osteoporosis. The research showed that women who ate three or more meals containing dark fish had a smaller drop in their bone mass than the women who didn’t. There was a similar result for men taking part in the study, as the ones having three or more servings of dark fish also had better hip density scores.
Delicate balance
Researchers believe the fish has a protective effect on our bones because it is packed with two important oils: omega 3 and omega 6 (which is also called arachidonic acid). But they also explain that both of these are needed for bone wellness, showing why servings of fish are effective at protecting our bones. Balancing oils becomes complex if we choose to take supplements instead, as scientists are unsure of the perfect balance of omega oils for our wellbeing. For example, in a previous study, men who ate high levels of omega 6 but low omega 3 in their diet actually lost more bone cells than those who didn’t have this difference in intake. This is why health bodies recommend eating fish on a weekly basis, as it has a natural balance of these oils, with our GPs able to offer us any more information we require.
Comments are closed.