Muscle Loss: Fight It With Omega-3
Sarcopenia: Help from Omega-3 Fish Oil
The natural aging of muscles can be counteracted by stimulating their metabolism with the intake of Omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). This was demonstrated by a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where researchers from the School of Medicine at Washington University (Saint Louis, USA) and the University of Nottingham (UK) studied the effectiveness of daily Omega-3 fatty acid intake on muscle degeneration.
Sarcopenia, an Aging Issue
As we age, muscles lose the ability to increase protein synthesis in response to amino acid intake and insulin action, becoming less sensitive to nutritional stimuli and decreasing their mass. This phenomenon, called sarcopenia, is associated with loss of muscle strength and is especially evident in elderly people. However, it can also affect those forced into long periods of physical inactivity. The muscle mass of a seventy-year-old is not the same as that of a twenty-year-old for daily activities. In fact, at twenty years old muscles account for up to 60% of lean mass, while at seventy their share drops below 40%. Current knowledge shows that muscle mass loss is not entirely uncontrollable. In fact, just a few grams per day of Omega-3 are enough to reactivate muscle protein synthesis associated with increased amino acid and insulin intake.
Omega-3 Against Muscle Aging
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, supplementing the diet with 1.86 grams of EPA and 1.5 grams of DHA — corresponding to the Omega-3 doses approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — for eight weeks induces an increase in muscle protein production normally stimulated by high blood concentrations of amino acids and insulin. The authors interpret this as Omega-3s reducing muscle cell resistance to using amino acids and insulin, supported by molecular data indicating increased activity of factors involved in the so-called mTOR-p70s6k pathway, a cellular mechanism regulating muscle cell growth. Researchers note that the exact mechanisms by which Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate muscle protein synthesis alongside increased insulin and amino acid concentrations remain to be revealed. Nevertheless, this study shows there is an interaction between Omega-3 fatty acids and the protein metabolism in human muscles. Moreover, Omega-3 dietary supplementation, the scientists add, is a safe, simple, and inexpensive strategy to combat sarcopenia.
Source
1. Smith GI, Atherton P, Reeds DN, Mohammed BS, Rankin D, Rennie MJ, Mittendorfer B, “Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation increases the rate of muscle protein synthesis in older adults: a randomized controlled trial”, Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Feb;93(2):402-12
