Omega-3 Supplements Combined With Weightlifting May Improve Overall Health
A new study suggests that incorporating omega-3s into a strength training regimen positively impacts heart and brain health and can lead to fitness gains.
Due to the limited scope of the research, it's unclear whether the findings are applicable to the broader population.
Omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in numerous bodily functions, including brain and eye health. When consumed in adequate amounts, they've also been linked to improved heart health markers and mental health.
Now, researchers say combining omega-3 supplements with consistent weight training may offer significant health benefits as well.
A study, recently published in Nutrients, found that athletes who supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids during a strength-training regimen experienced improvements in cholesterol profiles, brain-health markers, and, notably, strength gains compared with those who did not.
'The combination of omega-3 supplementation with resistance training resulted in meaningful improvements not only in biochemical markers but also in core components of physical performance such as muscular strength, agility, reaction time, and explosive power,' the study authors wrote.
However, significant limitations remain. The study included only healthy men with a history of strength training, making it unclear if the findings would translate to the general public, particularly those with existing chronic disease.
'Because this excludes the public, it is unclear if there would be such benefits for the entirety of a population,' said Alyssa Kwan, MS, RD, a clinical dietitian in cardiology at Stanford Medicine who wasn't involved in the study.
Nonetheless, the study suggests that omega-3 supplementation may provide a cost-effective, convenient approach to enhancing exercise performance.
Omega-3s improve cholesterol, brain health, and fitness
Researchers in Turkey conducted a randomized trial to assess the effects of omega-3 supplementation with weight training. Two groups of men followed the same weightlifting regimen, but only one group received the supplements.
Thirty men aged 18 to 30 were recruited for the trial. Participants were only included if they met a stringent set of criteria:
a strength-training history of at least three years
absence of chronic medical conditions
non-smokers
non-drinkers of alcohol
ability to train at least three days per week
Participants must not have a history as professional athletes or have used ergogenic aids to enhance performance, such as creatine, omega-3 supplements, protein powders, or branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), within six months of the trial.
A total of 15 participants were randomized to receive omega-3 supplements, while the remaining participants served as controls. The daily omega-3 dosage was 3,150 mg, selected based on prior studies reporting performance-enhancing effects at similar levels.
Both groups performed strength training three days per week, comprising one upper-body day, one lower-body day and one full-body day. Researchers standardized gym conditions — including lighting, temperature and equipment — to minimize performance variability.
Additionally, to minimize confounding factors, both groups followed a rigorously standardized diet supervised by a certified dietitian.
By the end of the trial, supplemented participants experienced multi-systemic health and performance benefits versus controls. Key health outcomes included:
Performance gains included:
13.6% increase in bench-press one-rep max (1RM)
9.7% increase in squat 1RM
improved power, speed, agility, and reaction time
'The fact that such improvements were observed even in healthy, physically active individuals suggests that omega-3 can be considered a valuable performance-enhancing aid for athletes and those engaged in regular physical activity,' wrote the study authors.
More research is needed to better understand how these supplements will affect a broader population.
Can omega-3 supplements promote overall health?
It's unclear whether the health and performance benefits of omega-3 supplementation and weightlifting would extend to the broader population.
Still, the health benefits observed would be meaningful, even if isolated from the aspects related to exercise performance.
'These benefits could have a large impact on longevity. While exercise is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, omega-3s have also been shown to have a beneficial impact as well. Improvements in lipid profiles could reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke as well as cognitive decline,' said Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, a nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic, and co-author of ' Regenerative Health,' who wasn't involved in the study.
Meanwhile, Kwan adds, 'We do understand that omega-3s have anti-inflammatory benefits and are very important for immune resilience and a general health benefit.'
Your body doesn't naturally produce omega-3s, which means they must be obtained from omega-3-rich foods like fatty fish, walnuts, or chia seeds. Omega-3 supplements, typically sold as pills or oils, can help fill the gap for those who don't regularly consume sufficient amounts of omega-3-rich foods.
However, experts say food-based sources of omega-3s are generally preferable to seeking out a supplement.
'Health benefits can be linked and achieved by just a healthy diet alone, such as eating fish. This supports an overall healthy diet as well,' said Kwan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Researchers Discover Possible Secret to Better Memory
The secret to a better memory might be tied to your emotions. This is according to a study done by the Hangzhou Normal University in China that was published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study included 44 university students who were shown 144 squiggly shapes, each of which were followed by a positive, neutral or negative image. Then, the process was repeated two more times for each student. After a 24-hour break, students were given a recognition memory test and the results revealed that students had better recall of the squiggly shapes that were followed by positive images. "Our findings revealed that positive emotions enhanced the retrieval of meaningless squiggles compared to negative emotions," the study said. "These results provide neural evidence for the enhanced memory performance of items associated with positive emotions and shed light on the mechanisms underlying memory formation in emotional contexts," researchers concluded. Researchers did see a similar level of increased brain activity for negative emotions as compared to positive ones, but that did not lead to better recall. The belief is that could be a result of heightened alertness for potential threats due to negative emotions. While a small study, this does lend to the idea that being positive helps in retaining information. Just something to keep in mind if you want to improve your Discover Possible Secret to Better Memory first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 12, 2025
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mysterious Signals From Deep Space Hint at Something Brutal, Scientists Say
Astronomers believe they've uncovered the source behind mysterious cosmic signals known as fast X-ray transients (FXTs) — and it adds a grim twist to our understanding of the death of stars. Right as a massive star explodes in a supernova, it unleashes a tremendously energetic stream of particles called a jet, producing a gamma ray burst — one of the most powerful explosions in the universe. The rest of the star, typically, collapses into a black hole. But a pair of new studies suggests that this last gasp by a star before winking out of existence can get "trapped" by some of the star's own remains, slamming the door shut on the jet so it can't fully shine. "As the jet is being launched, that extra material from the star that didn't collapse into the black hole [interacts] with the jet in such a way that sort of suppresses the jet from actually breaking out of the outer layers," Jillian Rastinejad, an astronomer at Northwestern University and lead author of one the two studies set to published in the The Astrophysical Journal Letters, told Gizmodo. That produces the weaker X-ray emissions, in the form of an FXT, which can last from seconds to hours. The nickname astronomers have for these weakened blasts is nearly as brutal as the catastrophic event itself: a "failed" jet. According to the findings, FXTs arise from a type of stellar explosion called a Type Ic supernova, which occurs in stars that have long shed their outermost layers of hydrogen and helium. Because of their ephemeral nature and the extreme distance of most detected FXTs to date, pinpointing their origins has been a challenge for astronomers. Rastinejad and her team's breakthrough came when data collected in the Einstein Probe, an X-ray telescope program run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the European Space Agency, revealed an FXT that was unusually close to Earth — a mere 2.8 billion light years away. Dubbed EP 250108a, telescopes including the Keck Observatory in Hawai'i and the James Webb Space Telescope rushed to extensively image the X-ray burst in multiple wavelengths, collecting infrared and optical data. "It's important to note that X-ray data alone cannot tell us what phenomena created an FXT," Rastinejad said in a statement about the work. "Rapid observations of the location of the FXT at optical and infrared wavelengths are key to identifying the aftermath of an FXT and assembling clues to its origin." With that wealth of data, the astronomers were able to observe how the signal evolved over time. Over the course of several weeks, the stunted supernova increased in brightness before eventually fading. The brief peak in brightness allowed the astronomers to determine that the blast was a Type Ic supernova — and one that was clearly lacking a gamma ray burst. This has profound implications for our understanding of a star's demise, because according to the work, with sufficiently large stars — the one that produced EP 250108a is estimated to be between 15 to 30 times heavier than the Sun — the full-blown gamma ray bursts we've come to equate with supernovas may not actually be the norm. Instead, Rastinejad said, "this 'trapped' jet outcome is more common in massive star explosions than jets that successfully emerge from the star." More on space: Astronomers Capture First-Ever Image of Star That Exploded Twice
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Researchers make disturbing discovery about health risks lurking in common products: 'Highlights the critical need for further exploration'
A new study may help to unpack possible effects of microplastic pollution, including from biodegradable alternatives, on metabolism and gut bacteria. The findings suggest some concerning signs that demand further exploration into long-term health risks that could be linked to microplastic exposure and ingestion, such as the potential for gut inflammation and microbiome disruption. Polylactic acid, or PLA, is a bioplastic commonly marketed as biodegradable or compostable, and it's often used in food packaging. Made from fermented plant starch rather than fossil fuels, when broken down under the right conditions, it can degrade into lactic acid, generally understood as safe. However, PLA can also break down incompletely, resulting in some divided opinions on the material and its potential health and environmental advantages over traditional plastics. Researchers from China say their new findings indicate that PLA microplastics can break down into nanoparticles inside the body and potentially trigger a range of harmful biological responses. In their study, published in June online by the Journal of Hazardous Materials, mice were orally exposed to a daily dose of PLA microplastics. Researchers noted that "the particles retrieved from mouse feces exhibited a significant size reduction, breaking down from the micrometer scale to the nanometer scale." Short-term oral exposure appeared to impact gut microbiota and induce inflammation, while longer-term exposure seemed to cause persistent changes, including to the metabolism. The co-authors of this new study say the research "highlights the critical need for further exploration into the long-term health risks of microplastic exposure," even when it comes to materials manufactured to be biodegradable or compostable. While microplastic pollution has been studied in marine animals and environments, as well as the occasional tortoise or donkey, this study focuses on the potential for serious risks to human health and looks at PLA microplastics in particular. In 2019, a research team, with support from the World Wide Fund, estimated that people may consume up to 5 grams of microplastics per week — roughly the weight of a credit card. Some studies have also investigated possible links between microplastic exposure and chronic illnesses, such as endometriosis, though these studies have largely looked at traditional plastics. When PLA microplastics are used, it tends to be because of their eco-friendly image as a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic types. Leveraging safe, sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based products is critical, but this study shows that bioplastics may still pose health threats inside the body, meriting further investigation. The researchers suggest that nanoparticles resulting from PLA breakdown could disrupt gut bacteria and contribute to inflammation, which has been linked to a range of illnesses from liver disease to neurodegenerative disorders. While more research is needed to provide a complete and thorough understanding of the potential impacts of microplastics — including from bioplastics — on our well-being, this study points toward the possibility that reducing their use could come with some health benefits. As more experts are suggesting, while we don't yet have a full picture of microplastic hazards, we may have enough information to warrant making some changes now. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Steps like cutting back on single-use plastic cutlery and straws at restaurants, opting for non-plastic reusable containers and shopping bags, and minimizing plastic-packaged food may help reduce personal exposure and the amount of plastic waste in the world. On a broader level, stronger regulations, corporate accountability, and funding for more research are all critical to curbing plastic pollution and protecting public health. Encouragingly, studies like this are pushing the conversation forward, showing that biodegradable may not always mean completely harmless. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
