Table 1.
Studies investigating the effects of omega-3 supplementation on measures of muscular health in older adults.
| Author | Design | Sample | Intervention | Main Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No RET | ||||
| Alkhedhairi et al. [40] | Double-blind RCT | n = 94; female, n = 53; male, n = 41; age = 71.2 ± 5.1 years | Krill oil (4 g/day; 772 mg/d EPA and 384 mg/day DHA) or placebo (4 g/day mixed vegetable oil) for 6 months | Krill oil supplementation resulted in improved knee extensor maximal torque (9.3%), grip strength (10.9%), and vastus lateralis muscle thickness (3.5%) to a greater extent than placebo. However, there was no difference in short performance physical battery test between groups. |
| Hutchins-Wiese et al. [41] | Double-blind RCT | n = 126; all female; age, 75 (range 64–95) years | ω-3 (1.2 g/day EPA and 1.2 g/day DHA) or placebo (1.8 g/day olive oil) | Higher RBC DHA content and DHA/AA ratio was associated with less frailty (p = 0.007 and p = 0.004, respectively). Fish oil supplementation improved walking speed compared to placebo (p = 0.038). |
| Krzymińska-Siemaszko et al. [39] | Non-blinded RCT | n = 50; 17 male and 33 female; age, 74.6 ± 8.0 years; all with decreased muscle mass | ω-3 (1.3 g/day PUFA (2 capsules/day containing 600 mg EPA, 440 DHA, 200 mg other ω-3 fatty acids) and 10 mg/day vitamin E) or placebo (11 mg/day vitamin E solution) for 12 weeks | No difference in muscle mass, grip strength, timed-up-and-go test, or appendicular lean mass index. |
| Logan and Spriet [34] | Single-blind RCT | n = 24; all female; age = 66 ± 1 years | ω-3 (5 g/day (2 g/day EPA and 1 g/day DHA)) or placebo (3 g/day olive oil) for 12 weeks | ω-3 supplementation resulted in increased lean mass (4%) and timed-up-and-go test (7%), while no improvements were observed in the placebo group. No improvements were observed in grip strength or 30-s sit-to-stand test for either group. |
| Rolland et al. [30] | Double-blind RCT | n = 1679; age = 75.34 ± 4.42 years | ω-3 (800 mg/day DHA and 225 mg/day EPA), placebo (paraffin oil), ω-3 and a multidomain intervention (including physical activity and nutrition advice, and cognitive training), or placebo and multidomain intervention for 36 months | No differences between groups were found for chair-stand test, handgrip strength, 4-m walking speed, or short physical performance battery. |
| Smith et al. [33] | Double-blind RCT | n = 44; male = 15 and female = 29; age, control = 69.7 ± 7 years and omega-3 = 68 ± 5 years (mean ± SEM) | ω-3 (4 × 1 g pills/day providing 1.86 g/day EPA and 1.5 g/day DHA) or placebo (4 × 1 g pills/day of corn oil) for 6 months | ω-3 supplementation increased thigh muscle volume, handgrip strength, and 1 repetition maximum muscle strength compared to control. Average isokinetic power approached significance with ω-3 supplementation as well (p = 0.075). |
| With RET | ||||
| Brook et al. [35] | Double-blind RCT | n = 16; female; age, placebo = 66.5 ± 1.4 years and ω-3 = 64.4 ± 0.8 years | ω-3 PUFA (3680 mg/day (1860 mg EPA and 1540 mg DHA)) or placebo (corn oil) for 6 weeks | 1 repetition maximum and number of myonuclei in type I and type II fibres increased equally in treatment arms. ω-3 supplementation resulted in greater thigh fat free mass and type II fibre cross sectional area, as well as greater 4EBP1 activation after acute RE at the 6-week time-point compared to placebo. No differences in maximum voluntary contraction, type I fibre cross sectional area, and satellite cell number were observed between groups. |
| Cornish and Chilibeck [27] | Double-blind RCT | n = 51; age, 65.4 ± 0.8 years; male = 28, female = 23 | Flaxseed oil 30 mL/day (~14 g/day ALA) or placebo (30 mL/day corn oil) for 12 weeks | Males supplementing with ALA demonstrated decreased systemic IL-6 concentrations and increased knee flexor muscle thickness following 12 weeks of RET. Females demonstrated no additional benefit associated with ALA supplementation. |
| Cornish et al. [37] | Pilot double-blind RCT | n = 23; all male; age, ω-3 = 71.4 ± 6.2 years and placebo = 70.9 ± 5.0 years | 3.0 g/day ω-3 (1.98 g EPA and 0.99 g DHA) or placebo (ω 3-6-9 blend, 1350 mg ALA, 795 mg linoleic acid and γ-linolenic acid, 525 mg oleic acid, 330 mg of other short-chain fatty acids, saturated fat, and phospholipids) for 12 weeks | RET improved lean tissue mass, chest press and leg press strength, and physical function, with no added benefits with ω-3 supplementation. |
| Da Boit et al. [38] | Double-blind RCT | n = 50; male: n = 27 and female: n = 23; age, male = 70.6 ± 4.5 years and female = 70.7 ± 3.3 years | ω-3 (3.0 g/day fish oil) or placebo (3 g/day safflower oil) for 18 weeks | In females supplemented with ω-3 fatty acids, maximal isometric torque and muscle quality improved to a greater extent than placebo, with no difference in males. |
| Daďová et al. [29] | Double-blind RCT | n = 55; all female; age = 70.9 ± 3.9 years | Calanus oil (~105 mg/day DHA and 125 mg/day EPA) or placebo (sunflower oil) and combined aerobic and RET training for 16 weeks | Calanus oil improved chair-stand test repetitions (calanus oil, median ∆ = 4 vs. placebo median ∆ = 3) but not muscle mass compared to placebo. |
| Dalle et al. [36] | Double-blind RCT | n = 23; male: n = 8 and female: n = 15; age range, 65–84 years | ω-3 (1100 mg three times/day (410 mg DHA, 540 mg EPA and 4 mg vitamin E) or placebo (1100 mg corn oil three times/day) for 14 weeks | ω-3 supplementation enhanced isometric strength gains but not muscle volume, catabolic, or inflammatory adaptations in response to RET. |
| Félix-Soriano et al. [31] | Double-blind RCT | n = 67; all overweight/obese females; age range, 55–70 years | Placebo (3 g/day olive oil), ω-3 (3 g/day containing 1650 mg DHA and 150 mg EPA), placebo and RET, omega-3 and RET for 16 weeks | RET resulted in improved upper limb lean mass, muscle strength, and muscle quality compared to the untrained groups. ω-3 supplementation improved muscle quality of the lower limbs. |
| Lee et al. [28] | RCT | n = 28; 10 males and 18 females; age, 66.5 ± 5.0 years | ω-3 (2.1 g/day EPA and 0.72 g/day EHA) and RT, placebo (safflower oil) and RET, and control only for 12 weeks | RET resulted in improved handgrip strength, five times sit-to-stand, timed-up-and-go, 6-m walk, and 30-s sit-to-stand. |
| Rodacki et al. [42] | Randomized, non-controlled | n = 45; all female; age = 64 ± 1.4 years | All completed 90 RET. One group only did RET; another consumed fish oil during RET; lastly, a group consumed fish oil for 60 days prior to RET. Participants receiving fish oil consumed 2 g/day (~0.4 g/d EPA and 0.3 g/day DHA) | Both groups that consumed fish oil had greater improvements in peak torque and rate of torque development and chair-rising performance compared to the RET only group. |
| Štěpán et al. [32] | Double-blind RCT | n = 55; all female; placebo, age = 70 ± 4 years; Calanus oil, age = 71 ± 4 years | Calanus oil (~230 mg/day EPA + DHA) or placebo (sunflower oil) combined aerobic and RET for 4 months | Exercise training resulted in improved lean body mass, arm curl repetitions, and chair-stand test for both groups. Additionally, an interaction effect was identified for chair-stand test (mean ∆, calanus oil = 4 vs. placebo = 3), indicating calamus oil supplementation may contribute to greater improvements. |
RBC, red blood cell; PUFAs, polyunsaturated fatty acids; AA, arachidonic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; ALA, a-linolenic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; ω-3, omega-3 fatty acids; RET, resistance exercise training.