Benefits of Omega-3 Supplements on Heart and Muscle Health

Omega-3 fats do more than just help your brain and heart. They also help you keep and even build more muscle because they fight muscle breakdown and support muscle growth.

A recent study that looked at many other studies found that taking omega-3 supplements while exercising gives your heart and metabolism an even bigger boost than just exercising alone. This combination can:

▪ Help you lose about 2 pounds of body fat.

▪ Improve your triglyceride (a type of fat in your blood) levels.

▪ Reduce inflammation.

▪ Lower your blood pressure (by 4 mmHg for both the top and bottom numbers).

▪ Make your leg strength better.

You should already be getting enough omega-3 fats (either by taking supplements or eating foods rich in them) to keep your heart and brain healthy. The great thing is that these important nutrients also help you get more benefits from your workouts.

How Omega-3s Affect Your Muscles

1. Omega-3s make it harder for you to lose muscle when you're not using it as much (like when you're recovering from an injury). They can help you lose less muscle and regain it faster afterward.

2. Omega-3s help your body build muscle by making it respond better to insulin and the building blocks of protein (amino acids).

3. Omega-3s can reduce inflammation, which might help with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), a condition often linked to ongoing low-level inflammation.

4. Taking omega-3 supplements increases the amount of omega-3 fats in your muscle cell membranes and changes how your muscle cells produce energy.

Besides preventing muscle loss from inactivity, omega-3s also help you build more muscle strength and improve how well you can perform everyday activities when you do resistance training, especially as you get older.

On top of their muscle benefits, omega-3s are also good for your heart and metabolism in many ways. They mainly do this by reducing inflammation through substances made when your body breaks down omega-3s (called specialized pro-resolving mediators or SPMs). They also help by improving blood fats, lowering blood pressure, affecting blood clotting, and keeping your heart rhythm steady.