Impact of Fish Oil Dose on Tissue Content and Function

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

28 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-11-01

Study Completion Date

2023-06-15

Brief Summary

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In this 5-month study, we will track the incorporation and washout of n-3 PUFA into different tissues following two different dosing strategies in healthy young and older volunteers. All groups will be followed for washout.

Data gathered from this study will be used to establish novel dosing strategies and provide insights into the incorporation of n-3 PUFAs in different tissues and their washout in young and older participants.

Detailed Description

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Skeletal muscle is crucial for health and accounts for approximately 40% of total body mass. A loss of skeletal muscle mass is seen in the process of ageing, with reductions between 0.2%-0.5% of muscle mass per year starting in the fifth decade. Accelerated loss of muscle and function above a certain threshold is characterized as sarcopenia. Age-related sarcopenia is prevalent in the UK; it is estimated to affect 4.6% men and 7.9% women with an average age of 67 years. Older people have an impaired capacity to increase muscle protein synthesis (MPS) rates in response to protein intake; this is thought to be a key contributor to age-related sarcopenia. Therefore, it is essential to elucidate new strategies to prevent and treat the accelerated loss of muscle mass and function.

Omega (ω)-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) derived from fish oil have possible beneficial effects on health. Evidence suggests potential therapeutic effects of n-3 PUFAs in maintenance/prevention of loss of skeletal muscle mass. N-3 PUFAs probably exert their effects by incorporation into tissue membranes. However, the relation between dose and incorporation into tissue membranes is unclear. Interestingly, a higher dose ingested over 4 weeks seen by McGlory et al. induced similar omega-3 incorporation in the tissue compared to the low doses over 8 weeks studied by Smith et al. If higher doses change tissue composition earlier, then there will be earlier benefits for muscle health and function. Thus, there is a need to examine whether an initial loading dose incorporation into tissues can be sustained by moving to a lower maintenance feeding dose. Furthermore, the exact molecular mechanisms of how n-3 PUFAs act on skeletal muscle are unclear. Several metabolic and molecular responses are affected, but wherein these pathways n-3 PUFAs act remain largely unknown and requires more investigation, with a focus on long-term settings.

This study aims to tackle these problems by executing a 5-month study where we will track the incorporation and washout of n-3 PUFAs into different tissues following two different dosing strategies in healthy young and older volunteers. Data gathered from this study will be used to establish novel dosing strategies and provide insights into the incorporation of n-3 PUFAs in different tissues and their washout in young and older participants. Ultimately, these insights will help targeting, prevention, and treatment of sarcopenia.

Participating in this study requires approximately 30 hours of commitment, of which 12 hours will be spent in the lab.

Conditions

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Aging Sarcopenia Muscle Atrophy

Keywords

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Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids Fish oil supplementation Washout Dosing strategy

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Randomized controlled trial, parallel design.

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Young loading dose group

Participants (18-35) will receive a loading dose of fish oil supplementation during the first 4 weeks of the intervention period of the study. In the last 8 weeks participants will receive a maintenance dose of fish oil supplementation. The total amount of EPA/DHA received throughout the supplementation period will be the same as the old group.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL