In this weeks edition of helpful nutrition in Boca Raton, I want to talk about supplementing with fish oils for the purpose of enhancing muscle mass.
Say what? You thought fish oil supplementation was helpful for reducing chronic inflammation. Well if you did think that, you would definitely be correct, but unfortunately, that would be only part of the story of supplementing with fish oils.
You see, in this helpful nutrition post, you will learn how fish oil supplementation can also optimize muscle mass which is independent of its role of reducing the inflammatory cascade.
In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Volume 95 pp. 428-36, entitled “Fish oil supplementation enhances the effects of strength training in elderly women”, Rodacki et al, summarize how fish oil supplementation has been shown to increase nerve conduction velocity in the elderly.
Not only that, fish oil supplementation also was shown to improve heart contractile activity.
Because fish oil supplementation helps the nerves control muscle contractions better while increasing contractibility of the heart, it stands to reason that both are important factors for improving skeletal muscle development during a work out.
The helpful nutrition result of this study main finding was the fact that fish oil supplementation along with strength training improved the response of the neuromuscular system.
Its important to note that supplementing with fish oils didn’t necessary cause an increase in muscle mass with these elderly women, but what the fish oils did demonstrate was muscle function.
Meaning muscle contractions were enhanced. Why is this important?
Well the helpful nutrition take away point is the fact that when it comes to performing your activities of daily living: sitting, changing positions, walking, carrying groceries, recreational activities, etc, etc, taking fish oils will help your muscles function optimally.
The next paper in this edition of helpful nutrition that we will review is from the Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Car, Vol 17, No 2 pp. 145-150 March 2014, by authors Di Girolamo et al, entitled” Omega-3 fatty acids and protein metabolism: enhancement of anabolic interventions for sarcopenia”
This paper really explains the importance of combining fish oil supplementation with protein/amino acids to attain an optimal anabolic (muscle building) response.
The study determined that only when omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was associated to the anabolic stimulus from amino acid administration, could an anabolic response be observed. But when the omega-3 fatty acid was used on its own, the anabolic effect was not observed.
It is interesting to note that the helpful nutrition recommendation to elicit an anabolic effect of fish oil supplementation, the dosage of 1g/day or 1000mg may be adequate.
Take home lessons:
Make sure that when you are supplementing with a fish-oil, number one importance is to make sure your fish oil is rancid. This can easily be accomplished with purchasing a fish oil in a dark BPA and PET free bottle. This will ensure light does not hit the fish oil, and that plastics do not leak into the fish oil.
Try to pick a high quality, hypo-allergenic (meaning does not produce an immune response) protein source to take along side your fish oil.
Yours in health,
Dr. Joel Rosen
