07.25.22
Fish oil supplementation led to a greater response to exercise training in older women with sarcopenia, both in terms of muscle growth and strength, in a human clinical study published in the journal Nutrients. Sarcopenia is characterized by an age-related decline in muscle mass and function, caused by decreasing physical activity and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 34 sarcopenic women who were 65 years or older, who were broken into groups which either took part in exercise alone with a placebo or exercise plus a 4g/day of a fish oil capsule for 14 weeks.
The researchers used MRI scans to measure the cross-sectional area of the quadriceps muscle, and the strength of the lower limbs is measured using isokinetic dynamometry. Compared to the group that took a placebo, the group that took fish oil saw significantly greater improvements in muscle strength (peak torque of 19.46 Nm versus 5.74 Nm respectively) as well as quadriceps cross-sectional area (6.11% versus 2.91% respectively). There were no significant intra-group, inter-group, or time differences in any of the cytokines measured.
“Several mechanisms are involved in the improvement of muscle strength, and the initial gains can be attributed to the neural adjustment that occurs in the first weeks of training, which is followed by an increase in the cross-sectional area of the muscle,” the authors wrote. “Although both strength and CSA showed a slightly greater increase in the group supplemented with fish oil compared with the placebo, the mechanisms of the effect of fish oil supplementation on muscle are still not completely understood,” the authors wrote, noting that previous research suggests that activation of the anabolic-related protein mTOR as the most likely explanation for the action of fish oil on muscle mass.
“Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may provide a safe, simple solution and low-cost intervention to counteract muscle loss and its complications in conditions associated with sarcopenia. Furthermore, resistance training remains the key element for increasing strength and muscle mass in the sarcopenic elderly,” the authors concluded.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 34 sarcopenic women who were 65 years or older, who were broken into groups which either took part in exercise alone with a placebo or exercise plus a 4g/day of a fish oil capsule for 14 weeks.
The researchers used MRI scans to measure the cross-sectional area of the quadriceps muscle, and the strength of the lower limbs is measured using isokinetic dynamometry. Compared to the group that took a placebo, the group that took fish oil saw significantly greater improvements in muscle strength (peak torque of 19.46 Nm versus 5.74 Nm respectively) as well as quadriceps cross-sectional area (6.11% versus 2.91% respectively). There were no significant intra-group, inter-group, or time differences in any of the cytokines measured.
“Several mechanisms are involved in the improvement of muscle strength, and the initial gains can be attributed to the neural adjustment that occurs in the first weeks of training, which is followed by an increase in the cross-sectional area of the muscle,” the authors wrote. “Although both strength and CSA showed a slightly greater increase in the group supplemented with fish oil compared with the placebo, the mechanisms of the effect of fish oil supplementation on muscle are still not completely understood,” the authors wrote, noting that previous research suggests that activation of the anabolic-related protein mTOR as the most likely explanation for the action of fish oil on muscle mass.
“Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may provide a safe, simple solution and low-cost intervention to counteract muscle loss and its complications in conditions associated with sarcopenia. Furthermore, resistance training remains the key element for increasing strength and muscle mass in the sarcopenic elderly,” the authors concluded.