Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Muscle Protein Synthesis

The purpose of this study is to determine whether omega-3 fatty acid supplementation influences muscle protein synthesis rates in young and older adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: omega-3 fatty acids; Dietary supplement: corn oil

Detailed Description

Loss of muscle mass is a normal consequence of aging. The decline in muscle mass is estimated to be 0.2-0.5% per year from 60 years old onwards in healthy subjects with the decline worsened by chronic illness, poor appetite and diet, and reduced physical activity in the elderly. Increased morbidity is demonstrable with as little as a 5% loss of muscle mass - therefore, treatments that can prevent or slow the progression of muscle loss with aging are much desired.

A major cause for loss of muscle mass in advanced age appears to be an impaired ability to stimulate the synthesis of muscle protein in response to increased levels of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and insulin as occurs after eating because of low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance in muscle of old persons. We propose that long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (fish oil) slow the loss of muscle mass because fish oil has anti-inflammatory properties and increases the sensitivity of muscle protein synthesis to insulin and amino acids. We will test this by studying the effect of fish oil supplementation on the muscle protein synthesis process in young and older adults.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 43
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University in Saint Louis

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2;
• Age 18-45 yr; or
• Age 65-85 yr

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those taking medications known to affect substrate metabolism or medications that may confound the findings from our study (synthetic steroids, glucocorticoids etc.);
• Those with evidence of significant organ system dysfunction (e.g. diabetes mellitis, cirrhosis, hypo- or hyperthyroidism; hypertension);
• Body mass index > 30 kg/m2
• Age <18 yr, 45-65 yr or > 85 yr
• Those performing >1.5h of exercise/wk

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: A; omega-3 fatty acids	Dietary supplement: omega-3 fatty acids; 4 grams per day for 8 weeks; Other Names: Lovaza
Placebo Comparator: B; corn oil	Dietary supplement: corn oil; 4 grams per day for 8 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis rates both in the basal, postabsorptive state and in response to infusion of insulin and amino acids in young and older adults	Measurements taken prior to and following 8 weeks of supplementation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on anabolic signaling pathways in skeletal muscle	Measurements taken prior to and following 8 weeks of supplementation
Evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on inflammatory cytokines in the systemic circulation and inflammatory signaling pathways in skeletal muscle	Measurements taken prior to and following 8 weeks of supplementation
Compare muscle protein synthesis rates between men and women in the basal, postabsorptive state and in response to insulin and amino acid infusion	prior to supplementation only

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Collaborators: Reliant Pharmaceuticals; Longer Life Foundation; American Federation for Aging Research

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Smith GI, Atherton P, Reeds DN, Mohammed BS, Rankin D, Rennie MJ, Mittendorfer B. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation increases the rate of muscle protein synthesis in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Feb;93(2):402-12. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.005611. Epub 2010 Dec 15.
• Smith GI, Atherton P, Reeds DN, Mohammed BS, Rankin D, Rennie MJ, Mittendorfer B. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids augment the muscle protein anabolic response to hyperinsulinaemia-hyperaminoacidaemia in healthy young and middle-aged men and women. Clin Sci (Lond). 2011 Sep;121(6):267-78. doi: 10.1042/CS20100597.
• Smith GI, Atherton P, Reeds DN, Mohammed BS, Jaffery H, Rankin D, Rennie MJ, Mittendorfer B. No major sex differences in muscle protein synthesis rates in the postabsorptive state and during hyperinsulinemia-hyperaminoacidemia in middle-aged adults. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2009 Oct;107(4):1308-15. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00348.2009. Epub 2009 Jul 30.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 18, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): November 19, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): August 3, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 2, 2011
• Last Verified: August 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Healthy volunteers; young adults; Aged
• Other Study ID Numbers: 06-1147

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No