The effect of fish oil supplementation on the promotion and preservation of lean body mass, strength, and recovery from physiological stress in young, healthy adults: a systematic review

Abstract

Context Military personnel are subjected to physiologically stressful environments during combat and its associated training. Evidence suggests that fish oil–derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (FO n-3 PUFAs) may affect military personnel’s performance by promoting or preserving lean body mass, strength, and power, while enhancing recovery from training-associated muscle damage. Objective Following PRISMA guidelines, this systematic review assessed the evidence for FO n-3 PUFA supplementation across various military-relevant outcomes related to physical performance in healthy adult populations. Data Sources The PubMed, Embase, and the CINAHL databases were searched along with references lists of selected articles and reviews. Data Extraction Eighteen trials were assessed for bias, and descriptive data were extracted. Data Analysis Of the 18 studies included, 12 trials favored FO n-3 PUFA supplementation in ≥ 1 of the performance outcomes. Conclusion Overall, FO n-3 PUFA supplementation likely preserves strength and very likely enhances recovery from physiological stress in young, healthy adults. However, FO n-3 PUFAs’ role in promoting or preserving lean body mass or promoting strength is unclear and warrants additional investigation. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020152786.

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

“…However, the incorporation of omega-3 fatty acids into skeletal muscle takes longer due to the slower fatty acid turnover in skeletal muscle [37,58]. As such, and to the best of our knowledge, the literature to date on FO supplementation and perception of soreness following vigorous training or skeletal muscle-damaging exercise ranges from 1 to 8 weeks in both trained and untrained men and women, with results indicating that both short and longer duration supplementation may positively impact the perception of soreness (i.e., lower it) following vigorous/damaging bouts of exercise (for a recent review, please see [22]). While our results positively support 7 weeks of supplementation with 6 g per day, compared with lesser dosages, we did not investigate shorter time periods, and thus more research is warranted.…”

“…While these recovery strategies have been shown to be successful in alleviating some of the symptoms of skeletal muscle damage, nutritional strategies have also been proposed to mitigate the negative effects that one may experience following a damaging/rigorous bout of exercise [21]. One dietary strategy that has garnered interest is consumption of omega-3 (ω-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) [22]. The discovery of ω-3 LCPUFA's pleiotropic effects on human health (e.g., cardioprotective [23][24][25], triglyceride lowering [26][27][28], and anti-inflammatory [29][30][31]) have driven significant medical and public interest, but of late, ω-3 LCPUFAs have caught the exercise community's attention.…”

“…Thus, a FO dose-response investigation is warranted and needed. It has been suggested that the minimum effective dose to enhance recovery is a 2G FO dose for at least four weeks [22], but more research is needed to fully examine this recommendation. Therefore, we sought to contribute to the gap in the scientific literature by investigating the dose-response of FO supplementation on recovery from damaging resistance exercise.…”

Plasma Eicosapentaenoic Acid Is Associated with Muscle Strength and Muscle Damage after Strenuous Exercise

“…It is widely known that omega–3 effectively improves fatigue recovery and exercise performance [ 8 , 9 ]. In review papers, it is stated that omega–3 ingestion could be a new ergogenic aid for young adults and athletes [ 10 , 11 ]. In addition, we previously showed that 8-week EPA and DHA supplementation attenuated muscle damage following strenuous exercise [ 12 , 13 ].…”

4-week eicosapentaenoic acid-rich fish oil supplementation partially protects muscular damage following eccentric contractions

“…EPA and DHA are known to have anti-in ammatory effects and increased red blood cell (RBC) deformability as a consequence of incorporation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid into RBC membrane phospholipids 1 . Recently, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation has been proposed as an ergogenic aid for athletes 2 .…”