Fighters Only

Nov 12, 2019

Supplementing your diet with fish oil is the key to improving both your body composition and endurance when entering the Octagon, state three international sports studies.

According to a research at the University of California, omega-3 fatty acids increase physical conditioning by improving the efficiency of the cardiorespiratory system. Put more simply, fighters supplementing their diet with fish oils find their heart, lungs and arteries function better which in turn can improve their performance.

More specifically, it demonstrated that participants with higher levels of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) – the two long-chain fatty acids that form omega-3 (fish oils) – showed increased heart rate recovery, exercise time and exercise capacity.

Additionally, increased levels of EPA and DHA were associated with decreased risk of impaired heart rate recovery. These results demonstrate that an independent association exists between EPA and DHA fatty acid levels and exercise parameters, supporting the hypothesis that EPA and DHA may increase physical condition.

This idea is supported by a study by Peoples et al (2008) conducted in Australia which supplemented 8g of either fish oil or olive oil to 16 well trained male cyclists for eight weeks. The results demonstrated that participants in the fish oil-supplemented group had significantly reduced heart rates as well as a lowered steady-state submaximal heart rate and oxygen consumption. This essentially means the athletes taking fish oils had a lower heart rate during exercise due to the fish oils enabling the cardiorespiratory system (the lungs, heart, arteries, etc.) to work more efficiently and deliver oxygen around the body far better.

Another study, conducted in Australia by Buckley et al, supplemented 25 Australian Rules football players with 6g per day of DHA-rich fish oil or sunflower oil for a duration of five weeks. After performing two treadmill runs to exhaustion the results demonstrated that the fish oil-supplemented footballers had significantly decreased blood pressure and heart rate during submaximal exercise when compared to sunflower oil.

Lastly, and more importantly for fighters looking to make weight, data from another trial conducted in Australia looked at the effect of exercise and fish oil on 75 overweight participants. Results demonstrated that 1.9g/day of EPA and DHA combined with exercise significantly reduced body fat when compared to a sunflower oil placebo.

The study maintains that this was achieved because the essential fatty acids direct glucose (from digested carbohydrates) towards glycogen storage while at the same time directing other fatty acids in the body away from triglyceride synthesis (fat storage) and towards fatty acid oxidation. In simple terms, essential fatty acids appear to conserve carbohydrates while simultaneously burning fat.

FISH RICH IN OMEGA-3