Polyunsaturated fatty acids and calcaneal ultrasound parameters among Inuit women from Nuuk (Greenland): a longitudinal study.
BACKGROUND
The traditional diet of Inuit people comprises large amounts of fish and marine mammals that are rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Results from in vitro studies, laboratory animal experiments and population studies suggest that omega-3 PUFA intake and a high omega-3/omega-6 ratio exert a positive effect on bone health.


OBJECTIVE
This longitudinal study was conducted to examine the relationship between omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA status and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters in Greenlandic Inuit women.


METHODS
The study included 118 Inuit women from Nuuk (Greenland), aged 49-64 years, whose QUS parameters measured at baseline (year 2000), along with PUFA status and covariates, and follow-up QUS measurements 2 years later (year 2002). QUS parameters [speed of sound (SOS); broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA)] were measured at the right calcaneus with a water-bath Lunar Achilles instrument. Omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA contents of erythrocyte membrane phospholipids were measured after transmethylation by gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector. Relationships between QUS parameters and different PUFAs were studied in multiple linear regression models.


RESULTS
Increasing values of EPA, DHA and the omega-3/omega-6 PUFA ratio were associated with increased BUA values measured at follow-up (year 2002). These associations were still present in models adjusted for several confounders and covariates. We found little evidence of associations between PUFAs and SOS values.


CONCLUSION
The omega-3 PUFA intake from marine food consumption seems to have a positive effect on bone intrinsic quality and strength, as revealed by higher BUA values in this group of Greenlandic Inuit women.
['Paunescu|Alexandra-Cristina|AC|', 'Ayotte|Pierre|P|', 'Dewailly|Eric|E|', 'Dodin|Sylvie|S|', 'Pedersen|Henning S|HS|', 'Mulvad|Gert|G|', 'Côté|Suzanne|S|']
D000818:Animals D001110:Arctic Regions D001837:Body Weights and Measures D001842:Bone and Bones D002111:Calcaneus D002849:Chromatography, Gas D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D004032:Diet D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated D005260:Female D005399:Fishes D006116:Greenland D006801:Humans D004930:Inuits D008137:Longitudinal Studies D008875:Middle Aged D014463:Ultrasonography
polyunsaturated fatty acids calcaneal ultrasound parameters Inuit women Greenland