A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and funded by the the National Institutes of Health found that older adults who eat greater amounts of  fish end up preserving their bone mass density  better than those who don't eat as much. Researchers believe that the combination of different oils in the fish protects bones from losing mass over time. 

"We think omega 3 fatty acids from fish help to prevent" bone loss, said lead researcher Dr. Katherine Tucker, a professor at Northeastern University on Boston. 

   

Her group looked at surveys, collected in the 1980s and 90s, of the eating habits of more than 600 seniors who lived in Framingham, Massachusetts. Measurements of the bone density in their hips were taken 4 years apart.
Women who ate three or more weekly servings of dark fish, such as salmon or mackerel, had smaller amounts of bone loss 4 years later, compared to women who ate less fish. Men who ate dark fish or tuna at least three times per week also had less bone loss than other men.

Looking further into what people ate, the researchers broke down how much of both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids people were getting in their diet. High levels of an omega 6 fatty acid, called arachidonic acid, was linked to less bone loss in women - but only when women also consumed higher levels of omega 3 fats. In men, high arachidonic acid and low omega 3s was tied to greater loss of bone.

Fish appears to provide a good balance because it has the omega 3 fats that tend to be lacking in Western diets. Omega 6 fatty acids are typically abundant in the food Americans eat.

Bone loss is a normal part of aging, and less dense bones are at a greater risk of breaking. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat two servings of fish each week.

NOTE:  This study did not examine whether the differences in bone loss between frequent fish-eaters and others make any difference in the risk of breaking bones. In addition, the study was unable to show that fish was the cause of the differences in bone loss, but merely that the two are associated.

Capturing accurate and reliable resident assessment data leads to the development of personalized healthy aging plans for individuals, and provides a way to target the right programs and services to best match healthy aging needs for a campus or community.

To show that something really works, a provider must have solid outcomes-based program measures. Without this, communities will never know whether anecdotes really represent  what's going on across their entire membership.