a Human Movement Sciences Department , Old Dominion University , Norfolk , Virginia.
b Department of Kinesiology , California State University Long Beach , Long Beach , California.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2017 Nov-Dec;36(8):602-607. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2017.1335249. Epub 2017 Sep 14.
Poor omega-3 fatty acid status has been linked to anxiety in the general population, but scarce data are available describing omega-3 fatty acid levels in athletes and their associations with anxiety and mental toughness.
Whole blood samples were obtained from 54 female collegiate athletes and analyzed for fatty acids as a part of this cross-sectional observational study. Participants also completed a food frequency questionnaire on the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS)-2, and Mental Toughness Scale (MTS). Measures were collected during the athletes' off-season. Spearman's rho coefficients were used to examine the associations between fatty acid levels and psychological scores.
Blood levels of the HS-Omega-3 Index® (rho = -0.32, p = 0.02), eicosapentaenoic acid (rho = -0.40, p = 0.003), and docosapentaenoic acid (rho = -0.33, p = 0.02) were negatively correlated with BAI scores. Likewise, dietary intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (rho = -0.38, p = 0.007) and docosahexaenoic acid (rho = -0.35, p = 0.02) were negatively correlated with BAI scores. Blood docosapentaenoic acid was positively correlated with MTS (rho = 0.27, p = 0.049). None of the dietary or blood fatty acids were significantly correlated with SAS-2 scores.
Both blood and dietary omega-3 fatty acid levels are associated with general but not sport-specific anxiety in female collegiate athletes during an off-season period. Randomized trials should be conducted to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on anxiety and mental toughness in athletes.
一般人群中，较差的ω-3 脂肪酸状态与焦虑有关，但描述运动员的 ω-3 脂肪酸水平及其与焦虑和心理韧性的关系的数据很少。
作为这项横断面观察性研究的一部分，从 54 名女大学生运动员中采集全血样本并进行脂肪酸分析。参与者还完成了一份关于 ω-3 脂肪酸摄入量的食物频率问卷，以及贝克焦虑量表（BAI）、运动焦虑量表（SAS-2）和心理韧性量表（MTS）。测量在运动员的淡季进行。使用 Spearman's rho 系数来检验脂肪酸水平与心理评分之间的关联。
血液中的 HS-Omega-3 指数®（rho = -0.32，p = 0.02）、二十碳五烯酸（rho = -0.40，p = 0.003）和二十二碳六烯酸（rho = -0.33，p = 0.02）与 BAI 评分呈负相关。同样，二十碳五烯酸（rho = -0.38，p = 0.007）和二十二碳六烯酸（rho = -0.35，p = 0.02）的饮食摄入量与 BAI 评分呈负相关。血液二十二碳六烯酸与 MTS 呈正相关（rho = 0.27，p = 0.049）。饮食或血液中的任何脂肪酸与 SAS-2 评分均无显著相关性。
在淡季期间，女大学生运动员的血液和饮食 ω-3 脂肪酸水平均与一般但非特定于运动的焦虑有关。应进行随机试验来评估 ω-3 脂肪酸补充对运动员焦虑和心理韧性的影响。
