RUNNING ON FISH OIL: BENEFITS OF OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTATION AND EXERCISE.

A new research study in Australia tested 75 men and women, obese or overweight (25-65 years old) who had two cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension, elevated blood cholesterol or triglyceride in a double-blind trial of 12 weeks duration. The participants were assigned to either daily supplementation with vegetable oil with or without an exercise regimen, or daily fish oil supplementation (providing 2 grams of DHA/EPA omega-3 fatty acids) with or without exercise. The moderate exercise program as assigned to half the subjects consisted of three running sessions per week for 45 minutes each at 75% of their age-predicted maximum heart rate. Body compositions as increased by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry revealed that the only group to exhibit a significant reduction in % body fat was that combining exercise with fish oil supplementation. This improvement appeared to reflect an enhanced fat oxidation during exercise. The fish oil plus exercise regimen also gave a lessened surge in the heart rate rise with exercise which was attributed to a reduced vascular resistance and an improved blood flow in exercising muscles. This novel research indicates the potential for fish oil supplementation to enhance the efficacy of exercise programs in overweight subjects. (NPICenter.com, 07/25/06)