Fish oil is good for you. Chances are you missed this message. “Omega 3 is good for heart and blood vessels ”. "Omega 3 is essential for the brain". "Omega 3 reduces the risk of diabetes". The news reaches us through advertisements, articles, TV programs and other channels. However, many people do not yet know that Omega 3, the main fatty acid in fish, not only benefits our fitness. It also has a very positive effect on body composition. It is what in America would be called a "body recomposition" agent, or it stimulates both fat burning and muscle building. More muscle and less fat. Who would not want that?
A few changes in your diet can have a big effect. Fourteen days more Omega 3 in the diet already shows a significant increase in combustion. Canadian scientists got 6 men to eat foods enriched with the Omega 2 fatty acid 3 for 1 weeks. During that period the “postprandial thermic effect of food”, the increased energy expenditure after a meal, increased by 51.3 percent. In the long run, such an increase in metabolism means that more fat is burned.
Not only do Omega 3 fats increase combustion, they also inhibit the growth of fat cells. In a test performed by DSM in 2011, fat cells were brought into contact with 7 different (natural) substances that are known to inhibit the development of fat cells2. The fatty acids DHA and EPA (two omega-3 fatty acids) had the greatest inhibitory effect on the growth of fat cells.
"I take 4 capsules of fish oil a day, can I expect any effect on my body composition?" you may ask. Well, American researchers gave 22 healthy subjects 6 capsules of 4 gram of omega 1 daily for 3 weeks. The result: half a kilo of lean muscle mass and half a kilo of fat were removed. 3. This effect did not occur in the control group. A decrease in cortisol secretion is responsible for this result, the researchers suspect. The stress hormone cortisol breaks down muscle tissue and helps fat tissue to grow.
A reduction of cortisol is not the only way by which Omega 3 promotes the growth of muscle tissue. It also directly stimulates the release of anabolic hormones. A study by Texas Tech University shows, among other things, a significant increase in IGF-1.
Omega 3 fatty acids therefore help in the burning of fat and building muscle mass. But that's not all ... Omega 3 can also enhance this lean muscle mass. The fish fatty acid DHA reduces the number of estradiol receptors and thus the effect of this female hormone on our body5. Estradiol can promote fluid retention so that muscle definition is hidden from view.
Omega 3 can rightly call itself a true “body recomposition” miracle. Less fat and fluid, and more muscle: which a small adjustment in your diet cannot do.
References:
- Matheson KM, et al., N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increase thermic effect of food in men with metabolic syndrome. Can J Diet Pract Res. 2011 Winter; 72 (4): 201-4. doi: 10.3148 / 72.4.2011.201.
- Warnke I, et al., Dietary constituents reduce lipid accumulation in murine C3H10 T1 / 2 adipocytes: A novel fluorescent method to quantify fat droplets. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2011 May 12; 8 (1): 30.
- Noreen EE, et al., Effects of supplemental fish oil on resting metabolic rate, body composition, and salivary cortisol in healthy adults. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010 Oct 8; 7:31.
- Chwan-Li Shen, et al., Protective effect of dietary long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on bone loss in gonad-intact middle-aged male rats. British Journal of Nutrition (2006), 95: pp 462-468
- Lu IF, et al., Docosahexaenoic acid induces proteasome-dependent degradation of estrogen receptor alpha and inhibits the downstream signaling target in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. J Nutr Biochem. 2010 Jun; 21 (6): 512-7. Epub 2009 Apr 14.