Supplement Performance - Omega-3 Fatty Acids, CLA and Olive Oil Which Ones Really Work for Bodybuilders? Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect the Heart The human body needs fatty acids and it can make all but two of them: linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) and linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid). Given linolenic acid, the body can make the 20- and 22-carbon members of the omega-3 series, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These omega-3 fatty acids are essential for normal growth and development and they play a very important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases. However, only a small amount of linolenic acid is converted to DHA and linolenic acid does not raise blood DHA levels.1 One of the primary reasons linolenic acid is so poorly converted to EPA and DHA is that it is mostly used for energy. To obtain the right balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, most people need to eat more fish and less meat. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that all adults eat fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week.2 Fish, especially oily species like mackerel, lake trout, herring and sardines, provide significant amounts of the two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids shown to be cardioprotective, EPA and DHA. The AHA also recommends eating plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids. The ways in which omega-3 fatty acids reduce coronary heart disease (a condition that reduces the blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle) risk are still being studied. However, research to date suggests that they can:2 • decrease risk for arrhythmias (an alteration in rhythm of the heartbeat either in time or force), which can lead to sudden cardiac death. • decrease risk for thrombosis (the formation or presence of a blood clot within a blood vessel), which can lead to heart attack and stroke. • decrease triglyceride and remnant lipoprotein levels. • decrease the rate of growth of atherosclerotic plaque. • improve endothelial function. • (slightly) lower blood pressure. • reduce inflammatory responses. For patients with documented coronary heart disease, the AHA recommends about one gram of EPA and DHA (combined) per day. Also, the AHA suggests that EPA DHA supplementation may be useful in persons with hypertriglyceridemia (the presence of an excess of triglycerides in the blood). According to the AHA, two to four grams of EPA DHA per day can lower triglycerides 20 to 40 percent. Fasting hypertriglyceridemia is a strong risk factor of ischemic heart disease independent of other major risk factors of ischemic heart disease. Additionally, the combined lipid profile of a high fasting triglyceride level and a low HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”) level is a very strong and important risk factor of ischemic heart disease, at least as strong and important as a high LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) level.6 Omega-3 Fatty Acids Aid in Non-Cardiac Conditions Omega-3 fatty acids have shown benefits in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and immunoglobulin A nephropathy.1 Also, there is increasing evidence that diets high in fish may protect against the development of Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer.1 Omega-3 Fatty Acids Increase Fat Burning During Exercise Omega-3 fatty acids are theorized to be ergogenic (performance-enhancing), not because if their energy content, but because they may elicit favorable physiological effects relative to several types of physical performance:8 1. One theory is based on the findings that omega-3 fatty acids may be incorporated into the membrane of the red blood cells, making these cells less viscous and less resistant to flow. Theoretically, less viscous red blood cells and the vasodilative effect should enhance blood flow, facilitating the delivery of blood and oxygen to the muscle. 2. Another theory is based on the role of certain by-products (eicosanoids), whose production in body cells is related to omega-3 fatty acid metabolism. In particular, two specific forms of the eicosanoids, prostaglandin E1 and prostaglandin E2, may elicit a vasodilation effect (widening of the lumen of blood vessels) and may stimulate the release of growth hormone. However, well-controlled scientific research indicates omega-3 fatty acids do not benefit endurance performance.8 For example, Drs. L. Brilla and T. Landerholm studied the effect of fish oil supplements containing four grams per day of omega-3 fatty acids on aerobic fitness as measured by a test of VO2max.9 The omega-3 fatty acids yielded no ergogenic effect. More recently, Dr. Derek Huffman and colleagues at the University of Missouri, Columbia, examined the effect of an acute high dose and a chronic low dose of fish oil on fat oxidation (burning) during exercise.3 The acute high dose fish oil had no significant effect on fat use during exercise. In contrast, chronic supplementation significantly augmented total fat energy expenditure. The authors suggested that by increasing fat use during exercise, chronic fish oil supplementation may have additional ergogenic benefits for health as well as athletic performance. Finally, recent data suggest that fish oil supplementation has a markedly protective effect in suppressing exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (constriction of the bronchial air passages) in elite athletes, and this may be attributed to their anti-inflammatory properties.7 Are Fish Oil Supplements Dangerous? One poorly written nutrition textbook claims “Fish oil supplements are not recommended for a number of reasons… Fish oil supplements are made from fish skin and livers, which may contain environmental contaminants.”4 Clearly, this is an incorrect contention. Fish oil capsules contain no mercury. Mercury is water-soluble, not oil-soluble, so when the oil is extracted from the fish, the mercury (and lead, cadmium and other heavy metals) stays behind in the fish meat.1 Organic pollutants are potentially another matter. However, fish oil concentrates, the most commonly used supplements, are not derived from the liver of fish, but from the muscle, and so they are lower in pollutants than liver oils.1 Consumer Reports wrote, “Our tests of 16 top-selling fish-oil supplements were reassuring: All those pills contained roughly as much EPA and DHA as their labels promised. None showed evidence of spoilage, and none contained significant amounts of mercury, the worrisome PCBs, or dioxin.”5 As the capsules dissolve in the stomach and release the oil, many people experience a “fishy burp.” Fortunately, taking the capsules at bedtime or freezing them can minimize or even eliminate this problem.1 CLA: Don’t Waste Your Money Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are a group of isomers of conjugated octadecadienoic acid that occur naturally in food, mostly in dairy products.11 CLA has attracted much interest since the discovery that it has body fat-lowering effects. Dr. Y. Park and colleagues were the first to report that the incorporation of 0.5 percent CLA in the diets of mice reduced body fat about 60 percent. The body fat-lowering property of CLA was also reported in other experimental animals, such as pigs, rats, hamsters and chickens, but the effect in those animals is less striking than that in mice.11 Consequently, CLA has been heavily marketed to gym rats as a supplement that may help to decrease body fat. Thus, Dr. Richard Kreider and co-workers examined whether CLA supplementation during resistance training affects body composition and strength.10 Unfortunately, results revealed that CLA supplementation did not significantly affect changes in total body mass, fat-free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, bone mass or strength. We realize that this statement may decrease sales of CLA to bodybuilders. However, our first and foremost pledge is our undying commitment to respect your intelligence and never bullshit the reader. Olive Oil: The Ultimate Fat for Bodybuilders? Olive oil is not only rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (“good fats”), but it is also rich in vitamin E and phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids. Thus, olive oil seems to contribute to the low prevalence of coronary heart disease that is observed in certain Mediterranean countries. Also, recent data suggest olive oil may help to burn fat. Dr. M.J. Soares and coworkers examined the influence of the source of dietary fat on postprandial (occurring after a meal) thermogenesis (the production of heat) and fat- burning rates.12 The major source of fat was either cream or extra virgin olive oil. This study showed that olive oil significantly promoted postprandial fat burning and stimulated dietary-induced thermogenesis. Radiating energy away as heat enables the body to spend, rather than store, energy. Thus, olive oil appears to be the ultimate source of fat for dieting bodybuilders. Summing Up It is now clear that omega-3 fatty acids play a very important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases. However, at the present time there do not appear to be sufficient data to support an ergogenic effect. Nevertheless, I suggest that gym rats eat oily fish at least three times a week or use fish oil supplements. Your heart will thank you! CLA supplementation does not appear to affect changes in total body mass, fat-free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, bone mass or strength in gym rats. Don’t waste you money on CLA. A recent study showed that olive oil promotes fat burning and thermogenesis. Thus, olive oil appears to be the ultimate source of fat for dieting bodybuilders.