This is the strong bone nutrient you did not know about
I have written about omega-3 earlier too, and about how brilliant it is for our heart’s health. In fact, this connect has been established beyond doubt and the information has been spread wide, making most people familiar with it. That’s a good thing!
But what I want to highlight now is a fact not many know much about — that this miracle nutrient is actually a manna from heaven for our bones too. It is increasingly becoming clear that consuming significantly more omega-6 than omega-3 can actually lead bone density to decline besides causing other health problems. Thus, ensuring the right balance of omega-3 to omega-6 can actually help prevent fractures and keep our bones strong and dense.
First a primer on what omega-3 is and how much of it we need. Well, the best fats for us to eat are those that contain the essential fatty acids (EFA), so named simply because we cannot live without them, and the body cannot produce them. Like vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, we must get them from the foods we eat.
These EFAs are polyunsaturated fats and are grouped into two families, the omega-6 fatty acids and the omega-3 fatty acids. We need both omega-3s and omega-6s but in correct quantities, as an imbalance can cause dire health consequences. That is because while the metabolic products of omega-6 acids promote inflammation, clotting, and tumour growth, the omega-3 acids act in an entirely opposite way.
Research shows that the bigger the omega-6 to omega-3 divide, the lower the bone mass density. Such bone loss happens because the imbalance increases the cellular production of cytokines (proteins that induce our body cells to grow rapidly) that disrupt the balance of our natural bone remodelling process.
That is why the right balance of omega-3 to omega-6 is imperative for our bone health. Our ancestors consumed omega-6 and omega-3 in the ratio 1:1, today it is more like 17:1 and that is causing havoc with our health. We should target a ratio in the range 3:1-1:1.
Luckily, there is evidence that a dietary increase of omega-3 fatty acids helps reduce the production of the cytokines and increases bone mineral density.
There’s a clear arthritis connect too. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, a painful condition in which the cartilage of the joints gradually breaks down, and rheumatoid arthritis, caused by an overactive immune system attacking the tissue in the joints, leading to inflammation, pain and crippling.
The omega-3 fats have significant anti-inflammatory properties. They work by suppressing the production of the inflammatory chemicals that the body makes, and thereby reduce the swelling and stiffness associated with arthritis.
So, you need to score enough of the vital nutrients. At the same time, it is important to lower your intake of omega-6 fatty acids, which promote inflammation.
This you can do primarily by eating less meat and processed food and restricting the amount of refined oils you use for cooking.
So focus on getting more of this good fat. You can learn about its good sources but a few lesser-known vegetarian options I would like to highlight are: flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, mango, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and some herbs and spices like cloves, oregano, peppermint.
Including these regularly in your diet can lead you on the path to strong bones.