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MU researchers say combining fish oil supplements with exercise
has a more positive effect on heart health than fish oil
or exercise alone.
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For
a Healthier Heart,
Try Exercise and Fish Oil
By Jeremy Diener
Nearly one quarter of all Americans have some
form of cardiovascular disease, according to the Centers
for Disease Control, and each year about 950,000 Americans
die of heart disease. Prolonged elevation of lipids, or fat, in
the blood, a condition called post prandial lipemia, causes a
temporary risk for atherosclerosis even in individuals who have
normal lipid levels after fasting. Researchers at the University
of Missouri-Columbia found that a session of prolonged exercise
along with taking a fish oil supplement dramatically decreases
a condition that leads to atherosclerosis, a leading cause of
heart disease.
Tom Thomas
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MU researchers Tom Thomas, professor of nutritional
science, Grace Sun, professor of biochemistry
and pathology,
Owen Donahue, master’s student at MU, and Bryan Smith, a
post-doctorate fellow at the University of Kansas, conducted the
study to examine the effects of exercise and fish oil on triglyceride,
a type of fat, levels in the bloodstream after subjects ate high-fat
meals. The results, which will be published this summer in Metabolism,
show that people who engage in prolonged, aerobic exercise have
muscle cells that break down triglycerides quickly and that taking
a fish oil supplement can be even more effective in reducing triglyceride
levels.
“Fat in the bloodstream is a primary
contributor to atherosclerosis, or partial blockage of the arteries,”
Thomas said. “The results of this research demonstrate that
it is very beneficial for active people to take fish oil if they’re
concerned about their triglyceride levels after eating a fatty
meal.”
Grace Sun
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The researchers examined triglyceride levels
following meals in recreationally active males. The subjects were
divided into groups in order to discern the benefits of exercise
only; fish oil intake only; and exercise combined with fish oil
intake. The control group subjects ate a high-fat meal only. A
second group ate a high-fat meal following an exercise session.
Another group ate a high-fat meal after taking a fish oil supplement.
The final group ate a high-fat meal after taking a fish oil supplement
and engaging in an exercise session. Each subject went through
all four treatments on different days.
Results indicated that peak triglyceride levels
in the subjects who took a fish oil supplement before eating a
high-fat meal were reduced by 38 percent. Those who both exercised
and took a fish oil supplement reduced their triglyceride levels
by 50 percent.
Thomas said he hopes the research might ultimately
help minimize the reliance on drugs to treat conditions in people
with heart disease.
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Last Update:
April 1, 2008
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