The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which primarily come from fatty fish, deliver a host of benefits for athletes and active individuals. In addition to supporting muscle recovery, brain functioning and joint health, they may help minimize muscle loss when immobilized. EPA and DHA also support heart health and may help improve mood.
Here is what you will learn in this article:
- What are omega-3 fatty acids?
- What foods contain omega-3 fatty acids?
- How can EPA and DHA help athletes?
- Muscle recovery
- Brain functioning
- Joint health
- Minimizing muscle loss when immobilized
- EPA, DHA Support Heart Health
What are omega-3 fatty acids?
Omega-3 fatty acids are named based on the location of their double bond. There is a carbon-to-carbon double bond located 3 carbons from the methyl end of the chain (see the number 3 below).
Omega-3’s are often referred to as fish oil although they are not exactly the same thing. There are 3 main types of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet: alpha linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is considered an essential fat. EPA and DHA are not considered essential because the body can make these fatty acids from ALA (see below). However, this process is inefficient. Very little EPA is made from ALA and even less is made from DHA. In a study in young men, 8% of ALA consumed was converted into EPA and 0-4% was converted into DHA. In young women greater amounts of ALA are converted into EPA and DHA. This may be due to estrogen. In a study in young women, 21% of ALA was converted into EPA and 9% was converted into DHA. Each omega-3 fatty acid has a different role in the body and effect on health.
Where can we find omega-3 fatty acids?
The omega-3 fatty acid ALA is found in plant foods including flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, canola and soybean oils.
EPA and DHA are made by microalgae. Phytoplankton consume the microalgae and fish consume the phytoplankton which leads to accumulation of omega-3 in fish tissue. Therefore, EPA and DHA are found in algal oil and fish, primarily fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, halibut, sardines and anchovies and oil made from fatty fish.
How can EPA and DHA help athletes?
Studies show EPA and DHA help support muscle recovery while also improving muscle mass and muscle functioning in older adults. In addition, EPA and DHA are critical for brain functioning and may also benefit those who have had a concussion. These fatty acids support joint health and may help limit muscle loss when a person is immobilized after a surgery or injury for instance.
Muscle recovery
EPA and DHA are incorporated into cell membranes where they make membranes more elastic, more flexible, and less prone to damage. They also influence membrane functioning. EPA and DHA can help reduce excess muscle soreness after muscle damaging exercise although the effects seem to be greater in those who do not eat fish regularly. They can also help improve muscle functioning in older adults, likely due to a decrease in inflammation.
Brain functioning
EPA and DHA are both critical for brain development and functioning. In fact, DHA makes up 97% of the omega-3 fatty acids in the brain. In addition, EPA and DHA may support recovery after a concussion (a type of traumatic brain injury) through several mechanisms. Concussions can lead to a reduction in blood flow to the brain for up to a month or longer. However, EPA and DHA increase blood flow to the brain, increase fluidity of cell membranes and reduce inflammation.
Several animal studies show EPA and DHA supplementation before or after a traumatic brain injury helps limit structural damage and a decline in brain functioning. In one study, rats starting the study with low brain DHA due to dietary restriction experienced greater cell death, slower recovery of motor function, and greater behavioral anxiety and cognitive deficits after a concussion. Although depletion of DHA before a concussion leads to poorer recovery, prophylactic supplementation with EPA and DHA may improve outcomes. A study in mice found an omega-3-enriched diet consumed for two months before a head injury helped protect against several aspects of short- and long-term behavioral deficits due to a head injury.
In a multisite, nonrandomized study with two football teams, supplemental omega-3 fatty acids (2,000 mg DHA, 560 mg EPA, 320 mg DPA) taken for nearly 3 months during the football season led to a reduction in a marker of head trauma, suggesting a neuroprotective effect from omega-3 fatty acids.
Support joint health
Omega-3s may also benefit joint health. The research is particularly strong in those with rheumatoid arthritis. Research studies show EPA and DHA can help reduce joint pain intensity, duration of morning stiffness, and number of painful or tender joints in those with inflammatory joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis.
Additional research shows that EPA and DHA supplementation decreased both global assessments of pain and disease activity (as assessed by a patient or physician) and the need for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in those with rheumatoid arthritis.
Minimize muscle loss when immobilized
High dose omega-3 supplements* may help decrease muscle loss when you are immobilized (in a cast, on bed rest etc.).
In this study, young women were given a high dose omega-3 supplement or sunflower oil as a placebo starting four weeks before having one leg immobilized for two weeks. After two weeks of immobilization, they returned to regular activity. Only the group getting the placebo experienced a decline in muscle mass. And though both groups saw their leg muscle get smaller, the group receiving the omega-3 fatty acids experienced less of a decrease in muscle size compared to the group receiving the placebo.
Although more research needs to be done in this area, this study suggests high dose* omega-3 supplements helped decrease the decline in muscle mass and size in young women during immobilization.
EPA, DHA Support Heart Health
EPA and DHA support cardiovascular health. Both EPA and DHA can help decrease triglycerides (fat in the blood) in a dose-dependent manner (triglycerides decrease in greater amounts with more fish oil consumed*), increase HDL-cholesterol (your good cholesterol), improve blood vessel functioning in some but not all studies (this may be population and dose dependent), reduce inflammation and lead to a small decrease in blood pressure. Additionally, both EPA and DHA may also protect cardiovascular health by keeping inflammation in check.
Randomized controlled trials show eating one to two servings of fatty fish per week reduces one’s risk of coronary heart disease by 36% and all-cause mortality by 17%. This equates to about 250 milligrams of EPA plus DHA per day. Additionally, two weekly servings of fatty fish reduced risk of death by ischemic heart disease and reduced all-cause mortality by 29% in men with a previous history of heart attack.
In other research studies, taking a supplement containing 850 mg of EPA and DHA
reduced the risk of all-cause mortality (death from all causes), sudden death, and coronary death in adults with a recent history of heart attack compared with no intervention. Also, taking approximately the same amount of EPA and DHA reduced incidence of death and CHD hospitalizations in those with heart failure.
Although not all studies report that EPA and DHA are beneficial for cardiovascular disease risk or events, a number of factors may have influenced the results of those studies. These include small supplementation amounts; short study timelines; higher baseline dietary omega-3 intake of the population studied (a higher intake before the start of the study will decrease the potential effect of supplementation); and improvements in cardiovascular disease care and therapies, including use of statin drugs (which lower blood cholesterol), which may mask the effects of EPA and DHA.
In addition to the research-based benefits for athletes in those interested in heart health, EPA and DHA may be beneficial for mood. In some studies, this combination helps reduce symptoms of depression compared to a placebo. This combination may be beneficial for anxiety as well. Despite the potential benefits linked to EPA and DHA, it’s important to remember that dietary supplements cannot replace medications and you should not discontinue taking any medications without the consent of your physician.
At this time, it is unclear if there is an ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids for health or human performance. In any case, most Americans consume plenty of omega-6 fatty acids, but 95% do not consume an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 supplements are generally recognized as safe when taken in doses up to 3 grams per day. Adverse side effects from fish oil are typically minor (such as fish burps and diarrhea). If you want to avoid the potential for fish burps, pick up EO3. The fish oil added to EO3 is encapsulated so you will not get fish burps, guaranteed.
If you don’t eat fatty fish regularly, pick up a fish oil supplement such as EO3 to reap the many benefits from EPA and DHA.
*These statements are not meant to treat, cure, or prevent disease. Before taking any dietary supplement talk to your healthcare clinician.
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