Effects of Fish Oil and Dietary Antioxidant Supplementation on Bone Health of Growing Lambs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The current study investigated the bone status of growing lambs fed diets supplemented with bioactive components (fish oil, carnosic acid, SeY, and Na(2)SeO(3)) improving bone parameters. The study provides new information with regards to the positive role of bioactive components supplemented to diets for growing lambs on their femur characteristics (bone content, bone mineral density, geometry, and strength). ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of partial replacement of rapeseed oil (RO) with fish oil (FO) combined with dietary supplementation of various antioxidants on the characteristics of lamb femur. Thirty male lambs were assigned to five dietary treatments and fed isoproteinous and isoenergetic diets for 35 days. The control diet was enriched with 3.0% RO, while the experimental diets were enriched either only with 2.0% RO and 1.0% FO or additionally with 0.1% carnosic acid, 0.1% carnosic acid and 0.35 ppm Se as selenized yeast, or 0.1% carnosic acid and 0.35 ppm Se as sodium selenite. After 35 days, the lambs were slaughtered, and the femur was dissected from the carcass of each animal and analyzed for morphometric, geometric, densitometric, and biomechanical properties. The dietary modifications, specifically the supplementation of FO and selenized yeast, significantly improved the geometric, densitometric, and biomechanical properties of lamb femur.