Abstract
PurposeThis study investigated the effect of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids-rich fish oil (EPA + DHA) supplementation on eccentric contraction-induced muscle damage.MethodsTwenty-four healthy men were randomly assigned to consume the EPA + DHA supplement (EPA, n = 12) or placebo (PL, n = 12) by the double-blind method. Participants consumed EPA + DHA or placebo supplement for 8 weeks prior to exercise and continued it until 5 days after exercise. The EPA group consumed EPA + DHA-rich fish oil containing 600 mg EPA and 260 mg DHA per day. Subjects performed five sets of six maximal eccentric elbow flexion exercises. Changes in the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, range of motion (ROM), upper arm circumference, muscle soreness as well as serum creatine kinase, myoglobin, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in blood were assessed before, immediately after, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 days after exercise.ResultsMVC was significantly higher in the EPA group than in the PL group at 2–5 days after exercise (p < 0.05). ROM was also significantly greater in the EPA group than in the PL group at 1–5 days after exercise (p < 0.05). At only 3 days after exercise, muscle soreness of the brachialis was significantly greater in the PL group than in the EPA group (p < 0.05), with a concomitant increase in serum IL-6 levels in the PL group.ConclusionEight-week EPA + DHA supplementation attenuates strength loss and limited ROM after exercise. The supplementation also attenuates muscle soreness and elevates cytokine level, but the effect is limited.
Highlights
Resistance exercise performed two to three times per week to increase muscle strength and mass is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (Garber et al 2011)
maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) was significantly higher in the Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) group than in the PL group at 2, 3, and 5 days after exercise [day 2; PL 78.4 ± 10.4 %, EPA 95.5 ± 20.1 %, Cohen’s d (d) = 1.04, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.15–1.85, day 3; PL 82.6 ± 6.8 %, EPA 98.7 ± 15.0 %, 1 3
The dose and period are different from the previous studies (Jouris et al 2011; Tartibian et al 2011), we suggest that the ingestion of both EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), especially at the ratio of approximately 2:1, has a synergistic effect on DOMS attenuation
Summary
Resistance exercise performed two to three times per week to increase muscle strength and mass is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (Garber et al 2011). Excessive eccentric contractions (ECCs) cause the development of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the reduction of maximal strength, limitation of range of motion (ROM), and muscle swelling (Clarkson et al 1992). ECC-induced muscle damage is defined as morphological changes in the sarcomeres and endomysium and inflammatory responses in muscle fibers and connective tissues (Peake et al 2005). Increase in serum myoglobin (Mb) and creatine kinase (CK) levels have been shown to be associated with damaged muscle tissue (Clarkson et al 1992). A number of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), are produced in response to ECCs (Clarkson et al 1992; Ostrowski et al 1999; Phillips et al 2003). IL-6 is a known trigger of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and exercise-induced IL-6 is defined as anti-inflammatory cytokine and shows improved insulin resistance after exercise (Pedersen and Fischer 2007; Panza et al 2015)
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