The effects of marine fatty acid omega-3 supplements on incident fractures and bone mineral density in generally healthy adults
Authors' conclusion
Supplementation with marine omega-3 fatty acids did not reduce incident fracture risk. It led to a small increase in whole body aBMD but had no other effects on BMD or bone strength measures compared to placebo in generally healthy midlife and older adults.
Study context
- Population
- US men (aged ≥50) and women (aged ≥55) without baseline cancer or CVD, not selected for low bone density or fracture historyBMD subcohort 771
- Participants
- 25,871 men
- Comparison
- Marine omega-3 vs placebo
- Primary endpoint
- Adjudicated incident total, nonvertebral and hip fractures in the overall cohort
- Follow-up
- Median 5.3 yr
Methodological details2 × 2 factorial, placebo-controlled, Intervention November 2011 through December 2017
- 2 × 2 factorial
- Placebo-controlled
- Intervention November 2011 through December 2017
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Incident fractures
Omega-3 vs PlaceboHazard ratio (95% CI)P value
Total fractures
1.02(0.92–1.13)
P = 0.73Nonvertebral fractures
1.01(0.91–1.12)
P = 0.80Hip fractures
0.89(0.61–1.30)
P = 0.55Further findings
| Outcome | Omega-3 | Placebo | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change in whole body aBMD (DXA), subcohort · 2 yr | +0.03% | −0.41% | P = 0.006 |
Areal BMD (aBMD) at spine or hip; Volumetric BMD (vBMD) and bone strength indices at radius or tibia (peripheral QCT), subcohort · 2 yr
- No effect of omega-3 vs placebo
Safety
- No serious adverse effects were observed
Original publication
The effects of marine fatty acid omega-3 supplements on incident fractures and bone mineral density in generally healthy adults. J Bone Miner Res. Published 28 January 2026. doi:10.
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