Flaxseed Oil Cuts Osteoporosis Risk in Older Diabetic Women
Lee Swanson Research Update
Flaxseed oil may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in women with diabetes and those who are post-menopausal, according to a study out of Cairo, Egypt.
The results suggest that flaxseed oil has a beneficial effect on bone mineral density and reduces markers associated with osteoporosis, indicating that this dietary supplement could be beneficial to women with diabetes or older women by reducing their risk of osteoporosis. The findings were published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health.
The researchers explained that they studied 70 female albino rats, of which 30 had their ovaries removed (ovx) to simulate the post-menopausal state whereby estrogen is decreased. Another group of rodents was rendered diabetic (type 1) in order to determine the impact of diabetes on the development of osteoporosis.
The authors added that flaxseed oil (rich in omega-3 fatty acids) replaced corn oil (rich in omega-6 fatty acids) in the diet of some of the diabetic and the ovx-diabetic groups with the aim of testing the impact of this oil on either delaying or preventing the development of osteopenia in ovx rats.
After two months, urine and blood samples were taken from the rats, and IGF-1 and the bone-creating protein osteocalcin were also measured. They found that the serum concentrations of IGF-1 and osteocalcin were increased in the ovx and diabetic ovx groups, but their lowest levels were detected in the diabetic group. The team said that bone mineral density and content in the diabetic group were reduced and normalized after receiving flaxseed oil.
The researchers also found that the levels of deoxypyridinoline in the urine were raised in the diabetic group. Deoxypyridinoline is normally present in healthy bone, and its presence in urine is a specific marker for bone resorption associated with osteoporosis. Levels of this marker compound fell when the rats were given flaxseed oil, according to the authors.
The team concluded that diabetes has a more pronounced effect on bone health than ovariectomy, and they suggest that diabetes in post-menopausal women may also be a greater risk factor for osteoporosis than the decline in sex hormones associated with menopause.
They said that the presence of omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil may play a role in protecting the processes of matrix formation and bone mineralization, which apparently are compromised by diabetes and menopause.
International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health Published online ahead of print.