Exercise and Omega-3s Reduce Inflammation in Post-Menopausal Women

A new study out of the UK shows that long-term exercise combined with omega-3 supplementation are extremely beneficial for improving bone mineral density and decreasing levels of inflammation in post-menopausal women. The combination of the two were extremely important, over just exercising alone, or supplementation alone.

Over 75 million people throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan suffer from osteoporosis, with women being four times more likely to develop it than men.

The authors of the study selected 79 healthy post-menopausal women who were split up into one of four groups. The first group was simply the control group and did not receive the exercise plan or omega-3s. The second group received only the exercise plan, which included walking or jogging three times a week at up to 65% of their maximum heart rate. The third group received only the supplementation, but no exercise plan. The supplementation included 1000mg of omega-3s per day which included 120mg DHA and 180mg EPA. The fourth group received both the exercise and supplementation plans.

After 24 weeks, no increases in bone mineral density or decreases in inflammation were found in the first three groups, but significant improvements were found in the fourth group. Bone mineral density improved nearly 20% and inflammation markets IL-6 and TNF-alpha decreased by 40% and 80%. There was a strong correlation between the increase of BMD (bone mineral density) and decrease of inflammation.

Source:
Tartibian B, Hajizadeh Maleki B, Kanaley et al. Long-term aerobic exercise and omega-3 supplementation modulate osteoporosis through inflammatory mechanisms in post-menopausal women: a randomized, repeated measures study. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2011;8(1):71.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21999620.