A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at whether having a diet high in fish was linked to having strong bones.  The study looked at eating habits of over 600 seniors who were around ages 75-90 and who resided in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The important issue this study addresses is whether eating fish can actually protect against losing bone mass overtime, an issue many people start to face as they age. Losing bone mass can mean becoming osteoporotic or even facing compression fractures of the spine.

The results of the study showed that women who ate three or more weekly servings of dark fish, had smaller bone loss over 5 years than women who didn’t eat as much fish.  The women really had to eat the fish with the omega-3 fatty acids, which are the darker fish like mackerel and salmon. The men also had positive results; the study showed that men who ate fish three times a week had less bone loss than the men who did not.

We aren’t sure this one study alone is enough to conclude that eating more fish will guarantee decreased bone loss, but we would definitely recommend eating 2-3 servings of fish per week, the guidelines for the American Heart Association.