Borage and fish oils lifelong supplementation decreases inflammation and improves bone health in a murine model of senile osteoporosis

Fats are prevalent in western diets; they have known deleterious effects on muscle insulin resistance and may contribute to bone loss. However, relationships between fatty acids and locomotor system dysfunctions in elderly population remain controversial. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of fatty acid quality on the age related evolution of the locomotor system and to understand which aging mechanisms are involved. In order to analyze age related complications, the SAMP8 mouse strain was chosen as a progeria model as compared to the SAMR1 control strain. Then, two months old mice were divided in different groups and subjected to the following diets : (1) standard growth diet - (2) sunflower diet (high omega 6/omega 3 ratio) - (3) borage diet (high gamma-linolenic acid) - (4) fish diet (high in long chain omega 3). Mice were fed ad libitum through the whole protocol. At 12 months old, the mice were sacrificed and tissues were harvested for bone studies, fat and muscle mass measures, inflammation parameters and bone cell marker expression. We demonstrated for the first time that borage and fish diets restored inflammation and bone parameters using an original model of senile osteoporosis that mimics clinical features of aging in humans. Therefore, our study strongly encourages nutritional approaches as relevant and promising strategies for preventing aged-related locomotor dysfunctions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Interactions Between Bone, Adipose Tissue and Metabolism. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.