Abstract

This study was done to examine the effect of higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids on bones metabolism because most studies that proved the importance of omega-3 didn't limit the appropriate dose and didn't study the side effects of high doses especially on bone.Twenty female rats whose ages (2.5-3) months and initially weighing (220-300) gm, were divided in to four groups and given 200, 400 or 600 mg/kg orally of omega-3 fatty acids for 30 days. At the end of the experiments, the blood was withdrawn, the right femur was taken to determine the percentage of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium and the left femur for hacking histological. The results showed that 200 mg/kg omega-3 lead to a significant decrease in ALP activity with an elevation in Ca and P in serum and a significant reduction in percentage of Ca and P with elevation in percentage Mg in bone ash, while the activity of ALP was significantly elevated in the rats that treated with 400 mg/kg omega-3- fatty acids accompanied with elevation in serum Ca and P and reduction in percentage of Ca and elevation in percentage of P in bone ash compared with control group. Treatment 600 mg/kg omega-3 lead to elevation in ALP activity and reduction in Ca and P in serum and bone ash. Histological results showed the appearance of osteoblasts and osteocytes and low number of osteoclasts with 200 mg/kg omega-3, while the treatment of rats with 400 and 600 mg/kg omega-3 lead to reduce the number of osteoblasts and the appearance of osteoclasts and osteocytes. These findings provide evidence that higher doses of omega-3 supplementation can lead to bone resorption and imbalance in minerals of bone.

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The article was added to IASJ on 2013-06-16

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