International Omega-3 Learning and Education Consortium for Health and Medicine

We all know that exercise or physical activity is good for you; however, while exercise is beneficial to our health, far too many of us do not partake in regular physical activity. Whether it is gardening, cycling or even a brisk walk or competitive sport, activity can promote cardiovascular and pulmonary health benefits, to name a few. Marine derived omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) also provide cardiovascular benefits. Many regulatory bodies around the world have recommendations for the intake of omega-3 fatty acids for prevention of or as part of a treatment regime for cardiovascular diseases. While there have not been a plethora of studies that examine the use of omega-3 fatty acids in exercise states, some research has been conducted to examine the impact of omega-3 intake in untrained healthy and obese individuals as well as trained athletes. The findings of these studies, highlighted below, are not conclusive but encouraging.

A research study that supplemented fish oil or placebo with or without a walking regime (3 days/week) in a group of overweight sedentary adults at risk for developing heart disease found improvements in cardiac risk factors. Fish oil improved trigylcerides levels, HDL (good) cholesterol, and endothelial function, while these improvements were not observed with exercise alone ¹. Both exercise and fish oil reduced body fat ¹, and individuals who consumed fish oil had improved heart rate variability as well as resting and submaximal exercise heart rate ². Heart rate variability is a measure of cardiovascular health, and exercise has been previously shown to improve heart rate variability.

Exercise in healthy but untrained individuals can lead to early fatigue and/or delayed muscle soreness and these reasons may be cause for a discontinued exercise program. A recent study found that healthy, untrained men who consumed fish oil (324 mg EPA, 216 mg DHA per day) for 30 days had significantly less delayed onset muscle soreness pain and inflammation after a single 40 minute bout of exercise compared to men who took a placebo ³. Other research has found that EPA and DHA supplementation for 6 weeks can enhance blood flow, oxygen delivery to active muscles, and decrease resting blood pressure in healthy adults ^4,5. Oxygen delivery to active muscles and enhanced blood flow can be factors that delay fatigue during activity. A separate study of recreationally fit men found a trend towards increased time before fatigue in those who consumed 1200 mg EPA and 800 mg DHA per day for 4 weeks ⁶.

Athletes are a third population in which the effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been examined. Work by Mickleborough and colleagues found that fish oil supplementation significantly improved exercise-induced asthma in athletes and asthmatic patients while also decreasing inflammatory mediators ^7,8. Omega-3 supplementation may enhance anti-inflammatory actions to reduce exercise-induced asthma. A recent study found that omega-3 supplementation also improved pulmonary function in young adult male wrestlers ⁹.

These studies were small and used different measurements and types of exercise to assess the effects of omega-3 supplementation; so while they suggest a benefit for improved exercise outcomes, more research is needed to understand what populations benefit and how physically active individuals may gain from long chain omega-3 supplementation.

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