Omega-3: Effects on Muscle Mass, Strength and Performance in Older Adults
Adequate nutrition can support muscle mass, strength, and performance in the elderly. Not only proteins are useful: Omega 3 fats, if taken in sufficient doses and for a long enough period, can also make a difference.
Maintaining good muscle mass (both in terms of quantity and function) is essential to ensure equally good health and quality of life. Unfortunately, as the years go by, the risk of losing muscles and strength is always around the corner; this is demonstrated by the many elderly people who find themselves dealing with a certain degree of muscle weakness. As if that weren’t enough, chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer (also particularly common in the elderly population) can accelerate the loss of muscle mass and strength.
This phenomenon leads to complex conditions such as sarcopenia, a problem that progressively affects all skeletal muscles and is associated with an increased risk of adverse events such as falls and fractures. Muscle mass, quality, and strength are reduced, leading to an increase in disabilities and mortality.
Physical inactivity due to a sedentary lifestyle and, in some cases, increased time spent in bed, leads to a rapid decline in muscle function and mass. On the contrary, exercise improves muscle mass and strength even in older individuals and even in the presence of various chronic diseases. Unfortunately, however, it is not always possible to increase physical activity in old age, and the benefits achieved with such effort are quickly lost as soon as inactivity takes over again.
On the other hand, malnutrition can also contribute to the loss of muscle mass and strength. Conversely, an adequate intake of key nutrients for muscle health and function can help both prevent and manage conditions such as sarcopenia.
Which nutrients for elderly muscles?
The first nutrients recommended for promoting muscle health in old age are proteins. Starting at age 60, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition (SINU) indicates a daily intake goal of 1.1 grams of protein per kg of ideal body weight for prevention; scientific literature suggests going up to 1.5 grams per kg of body weight. However, some studies have shown a link between high protein intake and the development of insulin resistance and diabetes.
In addition to this potential side effect, it should be noted that proteins are not the only nutrients associated with muscle mass and strength. Among others, Omega 3 – fats with remarkable anti-inflammatory properties found in foods such as fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds – have shown benefits for muscle health, and the use of dietary supplements containing them has also been explored to prevent conditions such as sarcopenia.
The benefits of Omega 3 for elderly muscles
The data published in the literature on this topic are not easy to interpret: some studies included few participants; supplementation protocols were inconsistent; and outcome evaluations often varied, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the effects of supplementation. Nonetheless, there is evidence suggesting that Omega 3 intake may improve muscle strength in both healthy elderly individuals and those with diagnosed conditions.
Improvements are small, but clinically significant. Among the most likely are increased grip and quadriceps strength. Some data also support possible benefits for muscle performance (e.g., improved walking speed), especially if Omega 3s are taken continuously for more than 6 months; however, in this case, the clinical significance of the observed effect remains to be verified.
Studies have produced mixed results regarding the potential to increase muscle mass with Omega 3. Data analysis suggests that to improve this parameter, it is necessary to consume more than 2 grams of Omega 3 per day.
Overall, the greater observed impact on strength may be due to the fact that more high-quality studies have focused on this aspect rather than on muscle mass or function. Furthermore, most studies on the topic involved individuals without major functional impairments; in other words, many participants did not need to improve muscle performance, and therefore no significant effects on function were observed.
Finally, some analyses suggest that improvements in muscle strength and function associated with Omega 3 intake may be independent of increases in muscle mass. Studies in which Omega 3 supplementation was tested in combination with physical activity support this view, indicating the possibility of achieving more significant benefits even without exercise and suggesting that Omega 3 improves strength through neuromuscular mechanisms rather than stimulating new muscle mass production.
Why Omega 3 is good for elderly muscles
In this regard, Omega 3s appear to act through multiple mechanisms. These include:
- their well-known anti-inflammatory properties;
- modulation of specific biochemical pathways;
- reduction of intracellular protein degradation;
- improvement in the production and function of mitochondria (the cellular organelles responsible for energy production);
- promotion of amino acid transport (the building blocks necessary for producing muscle proteins);
- regulation of neuromuscular junction activity.
On one hand, the incorporation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – the two biologically active Omega 3s – into muscle cell membranes stimulates biochemical pathways involved in muscle protein synthesis, thus counteracting the age-related decline in protein production.
On the other hand, Omega 3s (especially DHA) would influence nerve impulse transmission, inducing improvements independent of muscle mass. As a result, strength could improve even without an increase in muscle mass.
Lastly, the anti-inflammatory properties of Omega 3s could be useful both against the increased inflammatory response associated with sarcopenia and more generally in combating the chronic systemic inflammation that appears to increase the likelihood of muscle mass and strength loss.
How to take Omega 3 to protect muscles in old age
Many questions remain to be clarified, and for now, there are no specific and definitively effective supplementation plans to protect muscle mass, strength, and function in old age. However, it seems clear that adequate supplementation could be a valid aid in promoting elderly muscle health.
The most significant improvements would probably be in terms of strength, but by increasing doses (exceeding 2 grams per day) and extending intake (beyond 6 months), benefits might also be seen in terms of mass and muscle function.
The most direct way to obtain the biologically active Omega 3s that perform the actions listed above (EPA and DHA) is to choose supplements based on marine sources (fish oil, krill oil or algae oil); other sources, such as walnuts and flaxseeds, provide their precursor (alpha-linolenic acid, ALA), a molecule that, unfortunately, the human body can use very inefficiently.
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References:
Bird JK, Troesch B, Warnke I, Calder PC. The effect of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on muscle mass and function in sarcopenia: A scoping systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2021 Dec;46:73-86. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.10.011
Cornish SM, Cordingley DM, Shaw KA, Forbes SC, Leonhardt T, Bristol A, Candow DG, Chilibeck PD. Effects of Omega-3 Supplementation Alone and Combined with Resistance Exercise on Skeletal Muscle in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2022 May 26;14(11):2221. doi: 10.3390/nu14112221
Ferguson EJ, Seigel JW, McGlory C. Omega-3 fatty acids and human skeletal muscle. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2021 Mar 1;24(2):114-119. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000723
Huang YH, Chiu WC, Hsu YP, Lo YL, Wang YH. Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength and Muscle Performance among the Elderly: A Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 4;12(12):3739. doi: 10.3390/nu12123739
Phillips N, Gray SR, Combet E, Witard OC. Long-chain n -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for the management of age- and disease-related declines in skeletal muscle mass, strength and physical function. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2024 Mar 1;27(2):98-105. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000986
Società Italiana di Nutrizione Umana-SINU, 2014. LARN – Livelli di assunzione di riferimento per la popolazione italiana: PROTEINE. https://sinu.it/2019/07/09/proteine/. Last viewed: 08/04/25
Therdyothin A, Phiphopthatsanee N, Isanejad M. The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Sarcopenia: Mechanism of Action and Potential Efficacy. Mar Drugs. 2023 Jul 13;21(7):399. doi: 10.3390/md21070399
