Blannin Andrew, Boulton George, Thielecke Frank
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Department of Health Promotion, Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences, Brig, Switzerland.
Front Nutr. 2025 Aug 26;12:1588421. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1588421. eCollection 2025.
Supplementation with Omega-3 fatty acids such as Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and/or Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have been shown to lower submaximal exercise heart rate (HR) and whole-body oxygen consumption along with other positive exercise physiology adaptations. However, the impact of supplementation on exercise physiology is inconsistent. This could be due to existing study heterogeneity, including inconsistent use of EPA or DHA supplements. The current study aimed to investigate if EPA-rich or DHA-rich supplements are equally efficient at modifying physiological responses to submaximal exercise and potentially improving performance.
Fifty-five endurance trained amateurs participated in a submaximal exercise test followed by a 24 km time trial (TT) before and after a six-week supplementation period. Participants were supplemented with either 3 g/day EPA-rich fish oil, DHA-rich algae oil, or a coconut oil placebo. Omega-3 index, submaximal exercising HR, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and TT performance were all assessed.
The EPA-rich and DHA-rich supplements significantly increased the Omega-3 index, whereas the placebo supplement had no effect. Statistically significant changes between pre-and post-supplementation were found in submaximal exercise physiology. Both EPA-rich and DHA-rich supplementation lowered submaximal exercising HR (∆ = -4, = 0.005) (∆ = -9, ≤ 0.001) and RPE (∆ = -0.7, ≤ 0.001) (∆ = -0.9, ≤ 0.001), while only EPA-rich supplementation increased RER (∆ = +0.03, ≤ 0.001). Change in Omega-3 index inversely correlated with both change in submaximal exercising HR (RHO = -0.43, = 0.007) and RPE (RHO = -0.40, = 0.013). TT performance improved in all three conditions, but there were no significant differences in the gains across the three conditions.
This study adds further evidence that both EPA and DHA can alter submaximal exercise physiology, but further research is required to determine their effects on exercise performance outcomes.
补充ω-3脂肪酸，如二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）和/或二十碳五烯酸（EPA），已被证明可降低次最大运动心率（HR）和全身耗氧量，并带来其他积极的运动生理学适应变化。然而，补充剂对运动生理学的影响并不一致。这可能是由于现有研究的异质性，包括EPA或DHA补充剂的使用不一致。本研究旨在调查富含EPA或富含DHA的补充剂在改变对次最大运动的生理反应以及潜在提高运动表现方面是否同样有效。
55名耐力训练的业余运动员在为期六周的补充期前后，先进行了一次次最大运动测试，然后进行了一次24公里计时赛（TT）。参与者分别补充3克/天的富含EPA的鱼油、富含DHA的藻油或椰子油安慰剂。评估了ω-3指数、次最大运动心率、主观用力程度（RPE）、呼吸交换率（RER）和TT表现。
富含EPA和富含DHA的补充剂显著提高了ω-3指数，而安慰剂补充剂则没有效果。在次最大运动生理学方面，补充前后有统计学上的显著变化。富含EPA和富含DHA的补充剂均降低了次最大运动心率（∆=-4，P=0.005）（∆=-9，P≤0.001）和RPE（∆=-0.7，P≤0.001）（∆=-0.9，P≤0.001），而只有富含EPA的补充剂增加了RER（∆=+0.03，P≤0.001）。ω-3指数的变化与次最大运动心率的变化（RHO=-0.43，P=0.007）和RPE的变化（RHO=-0.40，P=0.013）均呈负相关。在所有三种情况下，TT表现都有所改善，但三种情况下的提高幅度没有显著差异。
本研究进一步证明，EPA和DHA均可改变次最大运动生理学，但需要进一步研究以确定它们对运动表现结果的影响。
