Effect of 12 wk of Omega-3 FA Supplementation on Metabolic and Physical Health Parameters in Older Adults

November 26, 2012 updated by: Lawrence Spriet, University of Guelph

Effects of 12 Weeks of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Metabolic and Physical Health Parameters in Older Adults

The biological membranes that surround a cell and its organelles are important to the overall function of the cell. Fatty acids are the main structural components of a membrane, and the presence of certain fatty acids can alter a membrane's characteristics, which subsequently alters its function. Two fatty acids that are of particular interest to researchers are eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). These omega-3 fatty acids have unique unsaturated structures, and their incorporation into biological membranes appears to elicit potent physiological effects. The body is unable to intrinsically synthesize these important fatty acids, so they must be obtained from the diet or through supplementation.

EPA and DHA supplementation has been reported to provide numerous positive health benefits, including decreased blood pressure and an improved blood lipid profile. Recent research in our laboratory has demonstrated in young men that resting metabolic rate was increased following a 12 week period of omega fatty acid supplementation of 3 g/day. Fat utilization was also increased and carbohydrate use was decreased both at rest and during a 1 hr moderate exercise challenge. These findings have positive implications for people who are interested in losing weight, but it not known whether these effects occur in older adults. With age, body composition changes (increase in fat mass and decrease in lean mass) occur which may negatively affect general health, particularly normal physical functioning and quality of living of the older adult. The potential role of omega 3 fatty acids to increase fat oxidation and increase resting metabolic rate may be a therapy for decreasing fat mass in the older adult. Research has suggested that omega 3 fatty acids may elicit an additional therapeutic role by reducing joint pain.

Another aspect of aging is a loss in lean body mass, which is associated with an attenuation of skeletal muscle protein synthesis in response to nutritional stimuli (amino acids and insulin). The weakened anabolic response is considered to be partly due to defects in the anabolic signaling cascade in the muscle. Research in older adults has reported an increase in muscle protein signaling with EPA and DHA supplementation in response to a nutritional challenge. However it is unknown whether the increase in protein signaling results in an eventual increase in lean body mass. The physical functioning of older adults is not only influenced by body composition changes, but also age-related neuronal changes that affect the velocity of axonal conduction and influence the ability of the muscle to generate torque and the rate at which the torque is developed. Muscular strength and functional capacity increases have been reported with chronic resistance exercise in a cohort of older women supplemented with EPA and DHA. However, the effect of EPA and DHA intake on physical strength in older adults with previously low EPA and DHA consumption, independent of exercise, is currently unknown.

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of 12 weeks of omega-3 supplementation at 3 g/day on metabolic and physical health parameters in community-dwelling older adults. We hypothesize that EPA and DHA supplementation will result in 1) a decrease in resting heart rate and blood pressure; 2) a more healthy blood profile; 3) an increase in resting metabolic rate; 4) a greater reliance on fat oxidation for energy both at rest and during exercise; and 5) a decrease in fat mass; and 6) an increase in lean mass, strength and physical function.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G2W1
        • The University of Guelph

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years to 74 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 60 to 74 years of age
  • Community-dwelling

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current or previous supplementation with omega-3's
  • Average fish intake greater than one time per week
  • Diagnosed heart condition
  • Lightheadeness, shortness of breath, chest pain, numbness, fatigue, coughing, or wheezing during rest or at low to moderate physical activity
  • Cardiovascular disease risk factors: family history of heart attacks, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking
  • Allergies to lidocaine, fish/fish oil, gelatin, glycerin, or mixed tocopherols
  • Currently taking any medications or supplements that may increase the chance of bleeding (e.g. Aspirin, Coumadin, Anti-inflammatories, Plavix, Vitamin C or E, high doses of garlic, gingko biloba, willow bark products)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Omega-3 Complete
Oral ingestion of 3000 mg (5 capsules) of Omega-3 Complete (Jamieson Laboratories, Ltd., Windsor, Ontario, Canada) per day for 12 weeks.
Dietary supplement: Omega-3 Complete
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Capsule
Oral ingestion of 5 capsules of a placebo oil pill (Jamieson Laboratories Ltd., Windsor, Ontario, Canada) per day for 12 weeks
Dietary supplement: Placebo capsule

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in resting heart rate from baseline
Time Frame: baseline and 12 weeks
baseline and 12 weeks
Change in resting blood pressure from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in fasted blood triglyceride concentration from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in fasted blood cholesterol from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in blood c-reactive protein concentration from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in fasted blood low-density lipoprotein concentration from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
change in fasted blood high-density lipoprotein concentration from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in fasted blood insulin concentration from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in fasted blood glucose concentration from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in whole body resting fat oxidation from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in whole body resting carbohydrate oxidation from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in whole body sub-maximal ecercise fat oxidation from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in whole body sub-maximal ecercise carbohydrate oxidation from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in resting metabolic rate from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in fat mass from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in lean mass from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in strength from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in physical function (balance) from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in self-reported pain from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks
Change in self-reported overall health from baseline
Time Frame: baseline to 12 weeks
baseline to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Guelph

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Lawrence L. Spriet, PhD, The University of Guelph

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

November 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

November 1, 2013

Study Completion (Anticipated)

November 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 21, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 26, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

November 27, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 27, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 26, 2012

Last Verified

November 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 12OC014

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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