Abstract
Ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids is known to exert favorable health effects on a number of biological processes such as improved immune profile, enhanced cognition, and optimized neuromuscular function. Recently, data have emerged demonstrating a positive influence of omega-3 fatty acid intake on skeletal muscle. For instance, there are reports of clinically-relevant gains in muscle size and strength in healthy older persons with omega-3 fatty acid intake as well as evidence that omega-3 fatty acid ingestion alleviates the loss of muscle mass and prevents decrements in mitochondrial respiration during periods of muscle-disuse. Cancer cachexia that is characterized by a rapid involuntary loss of lean mass may also be attenuated by omega-3 fatty acid provision. The primary means by which omega-3 fatty acids positively impact skeletal muscle mass is via incorporation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n−3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n−3) into membrane phospholipids of the sarcolemma and intracellular organelles. Enrichment of EPA and DHA in these membrane phospholipids is linked to enhanced rates of muscle protein synthesis, decreased expression of factors that regulate muscle protein breakdown, and improved mitochondrial respiration kinetics. However, exactly how incorporation of EPA and DHA into phospholipid membranes alters these processes remains unknown. In this review, we discuss the interaction between omega-3 fatty acid ingestion and skeletal muscle protein turnover in response to nutrient provision in younger and older adults. Additionally, we examine the role of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in protecting muscle loss during muscle-disuse and in cancer cachexia, and critically evaluate the molecular mechanisms that underpin the phenotypic changes observed in skeletal muscle with omega-3 fatty acid intake.
Highlights
Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids are a class of long chain fatty acids reported to have a range of beneficial effects on human health such as improved immune profile, enhanced cognition, blood lipid regulation, and optimized neuromuscular function [1,2,3]
We address data related to the interaction between omega-3 fatty acid ingestion and skeletal muscle anabolism with a specific emphasis on muscle protein turnover kinetics and translational control
The available evidence would suggest that omega3 fatty acid intake has the potential to enhance skeletal muscle anabolism, but the magnitude of the effect may be dependent upon a number of factors
Summary
Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids are a class of long chain fatty acids reported to have a range of beneficial effects on human health such as improved immune profile, enhanced cognition, blood lipid regulation, and optimized neuromuscular function [1,2,3]. As older adults require a greater relative per dose of protein to optimally stimulate rates of myofibrillar MPS than younger adults (0.40 vs 0.24 g/kg body mass) [45], this contention may explain the greater relative increase in rates of mixed MPS in response to aminoacidemia in older compared to younger adults following omega-3 fatty acid feeding [16, 17] It could provide some explanation as to the marked gains in muscle size with omega-3 fatty acid feeding in older adults in a free-living setting [18] during which dietary intake was not controlled and protein consumption likely suboptimal. In diseased states that are often accompanied by a state of excessive inflammation, the production of anti-inflammatory molecules and corresponding suppression of pro–inflammatory agents induced by omega-3 fatty acids is TABLE 1 | Skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown rates in patients with cancer cahchexia
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