Omega‐3 fatty acids supplementation improves endothelial function and maximal oxygen uptake in endurance‐trained athletes

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 3-week n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) supplementation on serum nitric oxide (NO), asymmetric dimethyloarginine (ADMA), ultrasound indices of endothelial function and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) of elite cyclists. The effects of dietary supplementation (n-3 PUFA at a dose of 1.3 g twice daily for 3 weeks) and placebo administration on flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), pulse wave velocity, serum markers (NO, ADMA), lipid profile, and ΔVO2max were analysed in 13 cyclists both before and after dietary protocols. Significant differences between pre- and post-intervention baseline NO levels were observed after n-3 PUFA dietary protocol (13.9 ± 4.2 vs. 23.5 ± 3.6 µmol·l(-1); P < 0.001). Higher post-intervention baseline NO level was observed after n-3 PUFA diet compared with placebo (23.5 ± 3.6 vs. 15.3 ± 3.0 µmol·l(-1); P < 0.01, respectively). The n-3 PUFA increased baseline NO concentration (ΔNO) by 6.7 ± 3.8 µmol·l(-1) and placebo by 1.6 ± 4.4 µmol·l(-1). The positive correlation was observed between baseline post-intervention NO concentration and maximal oxygen uptake (r = 0.72; P < 0.01) and also between ΔNO and ΔVO2max (r = 0.54; P < 0.05) in response to omega-3 fatty acids supplementation. There was an association between a 5.25% higher FMD (P < 0.05) and higherΔVO2max (P < 0.001) after n-3 PUFA diet compared with lower values of placebo (r = 0.68; P < 0.05). These findings suggest that an increase in NO release in response to n-3 PUFA supplementation may play a central role in cardiovascular adaptive mechanisms and enhanced exercise performance in cyclists.

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

“…These findings have been supported by recent work demonstrating no effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on endurance performance or recovery in Australian Rules footballers (treadmill run to exhaustion) [48], well-trained cyclists (cycle to exhaustion) [46] or young healthy people (cycling simulated time trial) [54]. On the other hand, one study did find that n-3 PUFA supplementation (1.1 g/day), versus placebo (lactose monohydrate), resulted in a 3.7 mL kg − 1 min − 1 increase in VO 2max , alongside an increase in endothelial function, although no endurance performance measure was made [56]. Overall, while n-3 PUFA supplementation confers some “beneficial” effects on cardiovascular function, during exercise, this does not translate into an improvement in endurance performance.…”

Bergamot Polyphenolic Fraction supplementation improves metabolic balance, endothelial function and maximal oxygen uptake in athletes

“…Increased shear stress and/or up-regulation of eNOS gene expression enhance vascular NO production and stimulate the regulatory mechanisms of the cardiovascular system [22][23][24], and this effect seems to be enhanced by BPF Gold. Antioxidant administration has been shown to result in dramatic improvements in exercise performance and compelling evidence has been gathered showing the potential ergogenic properties of antioxidants such as NAC [25]. Pertinent to the present study, a series of studies [25] documented signi icant improvements in time to fatigue during high intensity cycling.…”

“…Antioxidant administration has been shown to result in dramatic improvements in exercise performance and compelling evidence has been gathered showing the potential ergogenic properties of antioxidants such as NAC [25]. Pertinent to the present study, a series of studies [25] documented signi icant improvements in time to fatigue during high intensity cycling. The mechanisms responsible for the improved performance may be associated with increased antioxidant availability and improved K + regulation as a result of maintained Na + /K + pump.…”

Effects of Long-Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Endothelial Vasodilator Function and Cognition—Are They Interrelated?

“…Ten studies showed significantly improved endothelial vasodilator function (three within treatment group, and seven compared to placebo) after LCn-3 PUFA supplementation [23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32] (Table 1). For the statistical analysis, four studies were excluded because baseline FMD was not reported (analyzed: n = 14) [24,25,33,34].…”