Effectiveness of Fish Oil Supplementation in Attenuating Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Women During Midfollicular and Midluteal Menstrual Phases

Abstract

McKinley-Barnard, SK, Andre, TL, Gann, JJ, Hwang, PS, and Willoughby, DS. Effectiveness of fish oil supplementation in attenuating exercise-induced muscle damage in females during midfollicular and midluteal menstrual phases. J Strength Cond Res 32(6): 1601-1612, 2018-The purpose of this study was to determine whether the differences in estrogen levels during the female menstrual cycle and fish oil supplementation would attenuate eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). In a double-blind fashion, 22 physically active females (20.9 ± 1.4 years, 63.5 ± 9.0 kg, 165.2 ± 7.5 cm) were randomly assigned to ingest either 6 g of fish oil (n = 11) or placebo (n = 11) daily for 21 days. Participants underwent an eccentric exercise bout of the knee extensors on 2 occasions during the midfollicular (MF) and midluteal (ML) phases of the 28-day menstrual cycle. Before (PRE), at 6 (6HRPOST), and at 24 hours postexercise (24HRPOST) for each session, participants underwent assessments of DOMS, muscle strength, and had venous blood samples and muscle biopsies obtained. Data were analyzed using a 2 × 2 × 3 repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance for each criterion variable (p ≤ 0.05). Further analysis of the main effects for the test was performed using separate 1-way analyses of variance. Delayed-onset muscle soreness was significantly greater at the 6HRPOST and 24HRPOST timepoints compared with PRE (p < 0.001). Superoxide dismutase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentrations were significantly higher at the MF phase compared with the ML phase (p < 0.001 and p = 0.05, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences observed for muscle strength, myoglobin, NF-Kβ p50, or NF-Kβ p65. This study demonstrates that higher levels of estrogen may exert a cytoprotective effect on the sarcolemma.

Impact of Varying Dosages of Fish Oil on Recovery and Soreness Following Eccentric Exercise

“…One prominent difference between the Tinsley et al investigation and our study is that we employed a seven-week run-in the supplementation period prior to inducing muscle damage, while their experimental design included supplementation for seven days prior to the damaging exercise bout. To add, and in contrast to our findings, an investigation by McKinely-Barnard et al [ 40 ] found that 6G per day FO for 21 days resulted in higher perceived soreness ratings by young women 6- and 24-H post-eccentric exercise when compared to PL. Interestingly, the investigation utilized the same supplementation (FO and PL brands) as our study.…”

“…While previous research has indicated FO supplementation may attenuate losses in muscular strength following vigorous exercise [35,54,55], our results do not support these findings, which is similar to the majority of research to date [34,40,41,53,55]. It is thought that FO may reduce the amount of damage assumed by the worked skeletal muscle and conserve strength and power production, and thus muscular performance.…”

“…Interest in the impact of the ω-3 on "recovery", or more specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the form of FO supplementation, have been investigated using an array of interventions, spanning damaging eccentric contractions [32][33][34][35], exhaustive endurance exercise [36], and immobilization [37], in trained and untrained men and women [37][38][39][40], with only limited work completed in women [35,[40][41][42]. Current data suggests, and as highlighted in a comprehensive systematic review by Heileson and Funderburk (2020), that FO supplementation likely enhances recovery and preserves strength following stressful exercise.…”

Applications of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for sport performance

“…Another recent study measured the impact of medium term (21 days prior to muscle damage) n-3PUFA supplementation on indices of recovery following muscle damaging exercise in females (McKinley-Barnard et al, 2018). Participants consumed either 4.2 g/day of n-3PUFA or a placebo supplement consisting of safflower oil for 21 days before undergoing a bout of intense eccentric exercise.…”

Impact of Nutrition-Based Interventions on Athletic Performance during Menstrual Cycle Phases: A Review

“…As outlined in Table 3 , one study assessed omega-3-fatty acids [ 41 ], and nine studies assessed phytochemical-based dietary supplement interventions [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. Three of these studies originated from the United Kingdom [ 42 , 45 , 47 ], three from Spain [ 43 , 44 , 46 ], three from Australia [ 48 , 49 , 50 ], and one from the United States [ 41 ].…”