Effects of 12 Weeks of Omega 3 Supplementation on Resting Metabolic Rate

Fatty acids are the main components of the cell membranes. It has been demonstrated that diet can alter the characteristics and function of many membranes in the body, which has an effect on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Over the last two decades there has been a substantial rise in the research of the effects of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on bodily function. There are two fatty acids that are of particular interest to researchers, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids have unique unsaturated structures, and their incorporation into biological membranes seems to generate important and positive physiological effects. The body is unable to synthesize these fatty acids in high concentrations to elicit significant effects, so they must be obtained through diet in food or via supplementation.

It has been suggested that EPA and DHA supplementation increases resting metabolic rate (RMR) in humans, in part by increasing the use of fat as a fuel during rest. There are a limited number of studies examining the effects of Omega 3 supplementation on RMR. Some have found an increase in RMR while others have found no change. These studies have some limitations, as that they have either used a small sample size, a low omega fatty acid dose and/or short supplementation periods. Due to the variable results, the investigators will improve the reliability of the RMR measurements by making measures on each subject during two consecutive days at each time point that it is measured (0, 6 and 12 weeks).

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of 12 weeks of omega 3 supplementation (3 g/d) on healthy young adults vs. the supplementation of a placebo. The researchers hypothesize that EPA and DHA supplementation will result in an increase in RMR and fat oxidation in some subjects and not in others. The duplicate RMR measures will determine the prevalence and magnitude of the omega 3 supplementation.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Whole Body Energy Metabolism
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Omega-3 Complete; Dietary supplement: Placebo Pill

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
      • University of Guelph

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 - 30 years of age.
• Must currently practice a consistent diet and exercise regimen, and maintain this throughout the duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current or previous supplementation with omega-3's.
• Average fish intake greater than two times per week.
• Taken any medications, have any medical condition, and hospitalization or surgeries.
• Allergy to fish/fish oil, , (rosemary extract, ascorbyl palmitate, or natural tocopherols).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

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 Pill; Oral ingestion of 3 capsules of a placebo olive oil pill (Swanson Health Products, PO Box 2803 - Fargo, ND 58108 USA) per day for 12 weeks.	Dietary supplement: Placebo Pill

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Resting Metabolic Rate From Baseline	Percent change in resting metabolic rate	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in Maximum Oxygen Consumption From Baseline	Baseline, 12 weeks
Change in Whole Body Resting Fat Oxidation From Baseline	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Change in Whole Body Resting Carbohydrate Oxidation From Baseline	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Variability of Resting Metabolic Rate Measurement on 2 Consecutive Days	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks
Change in Fasted Blood Triglyceride Concentration From Baseline	Baseline, 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Guelph

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Jannas-Vela S, Roke K, Boville S, Mutch DM, Spriet LL. Lack of effects of fish oil supplementation for 12 weeks on resting metabolic rate and substrate oxidation in healthy young men: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2017 Feb 17;12(2):e0172576. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172576. eCollection 2017.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 17, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): March 20, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 6, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2015
• Last Verified: December 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Omega-3; Docosahexaenoic acid; Resting metabolic rate; Eicosapentaenoic acid
• Other Study ID Numbers: 14JA044