Can Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help You Build Muscle?

Several studies have recently been conducted to study the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on muscle mass, strength, and function; however, the results have been ambiguous. Some studies found that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation increased muscle mass, strength, and function, whereas others found no impact.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Building Muscle

A recent study examined the available evidence to see how much it showed that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation affected muscle mass, strength, and function in healthy young and older people. Their study was published in the journal Advances in Nutrition (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The Influence of n-3PUFA Supplementation on Muscle Strength, Mass, and Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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).

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From the 14 studies that fit the criteria, there were a total of 1,443 participants. Out of which 913 were females and 520 were males.

After examining the data, the authors concluded that when compared to a placebo, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may lead to very small increases in muscle strength but did not impact muscle mass and function in healthy young and older adults.

The authors believe that this could be explained, at least partly, by the fact that increases in muscle strength are not necessarily correlated with changes in muscle size, since neural motor control and/or cellular and molecular adaptations of muscle fibers may lead to increases in muscle strength in the absence of significant increases in muscle mass.

Young Healthy People: Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Increase Muscle Strength

While the scientists discovered a beneficial, albeit minor, effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on muscle strength when compared to a placebo. They did advise using caution when interpreting this outcome. The authors specifically mentioned differences in individual study design and findings, making it difficult to draw conclusions.

Overall, the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on strength is consistent with trivially modest advantages, and such small changes are unlikely to be clinically meaningful or important.

The authors did point to a previous review that found a stronger relationship between omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and increased muscle mass and function among the elderly than their current review; however, they believe the difference might be explained by differences in the study populations. In this current review, only healthy subjects were analyzed.

Older Chronically-Ill Adults: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Might be More Effective

Previous research suggests that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may be more likely to provide an anabolic stimulus when muscle protein synthesis is compromised, such as in older adults with higher levels of anabolic resistance or in conditions of increased systemic inflammation, such as chronic diseases (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength and Muscle Performance among the Elderly: A Meta-Analysis

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).

The authors did acknowledge certain limitations of their study, such as a high overall risk of bias from the included studies, owing mostly to a lack of information about the randomization technique and blinding, as well as a lack of established trial registries.

Future research with robust methodology and data reporting is required to broaden and corroborate these findings to shed more light on the subject.

References :

1. Health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15366399/)
2. The Influence of n-3PUFA Supplementation on Muscle Strength, Mass, and Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36811583/)
3. Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength and Muscle Performance among the Elderly: A Meta-Analysis – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33291698/)

Source: Medindia