Omega-3s Increase Lung Function During Sports
Omega 3 sport: fish oil improves lung function during and after physical effort
A first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport by a group of researchers from Urmia University (Iran) and Tübingen University (Germany) revealed the benefits of marine Omega 3 supplements for athletes’ lungs. “Taking them during a 12-week training program,” the researchers explained, “has significant positive effects on lung variables.”
The intake of Omega 3 EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during an intensive training period can improve athletes’ lung function.
The benefits of these fatty acids, suggested by research published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, would be useful both during and after physical exercise.
For this reason, marine Omega-3s (EPA and DHA) have found a place in the nutrition and supplements market for sports.
The research published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport was conducted by a group of researchers from Urmia University (Iran) and Tübingen University (Germany).
Exercise, lungs, and Omega 3
Athletes subjected to heavy training or engaged in prolonged and strenuous exercises run a higher risk of upper respiratory tract infections both during training and in the weeks immediately after.
This phenomenon may be associated with altered lung function; in particular, in the case of freestyle wrestling, intense training programs have been associated with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
Omega 3s might be useful due to their apparent protective effect on the lungs.
Their potential is suggested by the low prevalence of lung diseases in Eskimo populations characterized by a diet rich in these fats, known for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Additionally, preliminary studies had already highlighted the ability of fish oil supplements, an excellent source of Omega 3 EPA and DHA, to improve some parameters of lung function.
For this reason, the authors of the study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport decided to evaluate the effects of Omega 3 supplementation on lung function in young athletes undergoing an intense training period.
Omega-3 and training, a winning combination for the lungs
The study involved 40 male, non-professional, non-smoking athletes with an average age of 18.6 years, all freestyle wrestlers. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups:
- the 10 athletes in the experimental group were assigned training 3 sessions per week for a total of 12 weeks and, during the same period, took 1 gram per day of a fish oil-based Omega 3 supplement, providing a total of 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA daily;
- the 10 athletes in the placebo group followed the same training program but took capsules that did not contain Omega 3;
- the 10 athletes in the active control group followed only the training program;
- the 10 athletes in the inactive control group were not assigned any training program nor any capsules.
The researchers assessed each participant's lung capacity at the start of the trial and after 12 weeks of training; measured parameters included forced vital capacity (FVC), the volume of air forcibly exhaled after inhaling the maximum possible amount of air, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), the volume of air exhaled in the first second of a forced expiration.
These two parameters allowed:
- determining the volume of the lungs and the airflow inside them;
- demonstrating that the combination of intensive exercise and Omega-3 improves both these factors.
“The results of [this] study revealed that it is the lung vital capacity rather than other factors that is influenced by training,” the authors explained. “We hypothesize that changes in the lung capacity and volume of young wrestlers may lead to an adaptation in wrestling training, improvements in the pulmonary circulatory system, increased hemoglobin saturation percentage, improved alveolar ventilation, improvements in partial oxygen pressure and, finally, to maintaining the wrestler’s concentration.”
Benefits for athletes
The authors of the research highlighted that the results obtained in this study constitute the first evidence of the benefits of Omega-3 for lung function in athletes during training programs.
While recognizing the need for further studies to clarify the mechanisms behind these benefits, the researchers emphasized the implications of this discovery for the work of coaches, personal trainers, and physiologists who develop training programs for both professional wrestlers and amateurs.
Discover the results of other research on the benefits of Omega 3 for athletes by continuing to read the Omegor Blog!
References:
Tartibian B, Maleki BH, Abbasi A. The effects of omega-3 supplementation on pulmonary function of young wrestlers during intensive training. J Sci Med Sport. 2010 Mar;13(2):281-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2008.12.634
