21 days of mammalian omega-3 fatty acid supplementation improves aspects of neuromuscular function and performance in male athletes compared to olive oil placebo

Abstract

BackgroundOmega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (N-3) are essential nutrients for human health and integral components of neural tissues. There is evidence that N-3 supplementation may benefit exercise performance, however, no study has investigated the ergogenic potential of N-3 supplementation. Our objective was to determine the effect of short-term N-3 supplementation on neuromuscular-function and physical-performance in well-trained athletes.MethodsMale athletes (n = 30), 25 years (SD 4.6), training 17 h.wk−1 (SD 5) completed this randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-design study. At baseline a blood sample was collected, maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVC) with electromyography (EMG) recordings were measured, and participants underwent various performance tests including a Wingate test and 250 kJ time trial (TT) followed by repeated MVC and EMG measurement. Participants were then randomly assigned to receive N-3 (5 ml seal oil, 375 mg EPA, 230 mg DPA, 510 mg DHA) or placebo (5 ml olive oil) for 21-days after which baseline testing was repeated. The magnitude-based inference approach was used to estimate the probability that N-3 had a beneficial effect on neuromuscular-function and performance of at least ±1 %. Data are shown as mean ± 90 % confidence-interval.ResultsPlasma EPA was higher on N-3 than placebo (p = 0.004) but the increases in DPA and DHA were not significant (p = 0.087, p = 0.058). N-3 supplementation had an unclear effect on MVC force (4.1 ± 6.6 %) but increased vastus lateralis EMG by 20 ± 18 % vs placebo (very likely beneficial). N-3 supplementation reduced Wingate percent power drop by 4.76 ± 3.4 % vs placebo (very likely beneficial), but the difference in TT performance was unclear (−1.9 ± 4.8 %).ConclusionOur data indicates N-3 PUFA supplementation improved peripheral neuromuscular function and aspects of fatigue with an unclear effect on central neuromuscular function. Clinical trial registration NCT0201433.

Effect of an acute dose of omega-3 fish oil following exercise-induced muscle damage

“…The countermovement jump in this case relies on the influence of the stretchshortening cycle, as well as the contractile machinery and therefore, changes in neural factors are likely to have a compounding effect on performance. With the current data showing an immediate protective effect in the High group, it is therefore possible that supplementation allowed for greater voluntary activation, a suggestion supported by Lewis et al (2015). In their study, although their findings were not in relation to EIMD, Lewis and , despite no statistical differences between groups, large effect sizes were noted (0.14 and 0.31, respectively).…”

Fit with good fat? The role of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on exercise performance

“…This is further supported by a series of convincing studies demonstrating enhanced neural and body mass development in preterm infants supplemented with DHA [93], [94], [95], [96], [97]. Although the precise mechanisms for such development is unclear, Lewis et al [88] demonstrated enhanced neuromuscular development after 21 days of n-3 PUFA supplementation during exercise training and the authors proposed this may have been caused by increased acetylcholine concentration and acetylcholinesterase activity at the neuromuscular junction. However, this theory was derived from an animal study [98] therefore comparing this to dynamics of human skeletal muscle makes the theory quite speculative.…”

“…As mentioned above, supplementation with n-3 PUFA for 150 days has been reported to enhance strength [27] and also neuromuscular recruitment following exercise training programmes [88]. The main acid thought to be responsible for this is DHA as it is the essential constituent of neuronal membrane phospholipids [88], [89] and thus considered fundamental for development of normal brain function and neuronal pathways [90].…”

“…The main acid thought to be responsible for this is DHA as it is the essential constituent of neuronal membrane phospholipids [88], [89] and thus considered fundamental for development of normal brain function and neuronal pathways [90].…”

The Effects of Dietary Omega-3s on Muscle Composition and Quality in Older Adults

“…However, results from our recent study, where increases in strength following omega-3 fatty acid supplementation were ~2-fold greater than the gain in muscle volume [78], provide at least some circumstantial evidence for an omega-3 fatty acid-induced improvement in muscle quality. Additionally, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has been reported to improve neuromuscular function [85, 86] and reduce intermuscular fat infiltration [78], both of which help determine muscle quality and have been implicated in aging-induced declines in muscle function [37, 38, 32–34]. Changes in other factors that influence muscle quality such as muscle architecture [31], and fibrosis [35, 36] have to the author’s knowledge not been examined in response to omega-3 fatty acids.…”