Thursday, July 9, 2009

Fish Oil + Exercise = Fat Loss

A brand new study from our mates in Australia tested the effects of fish oil and exercise on body fat composition.

Overweight to obese adults at heightened risk of coronary disease participated in a 12-week intervention trial that examined the effect of omega-3 fish oil taken daily in combination with moderate aerobic exercise three times a week. These people were compared with three groups taking fish oil, sunflower oil or a combination of sunflower oil and exercise.

As well as being overweight, participants were diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms associated with obesity that include hypertension, high blood triglycerides and insulin resistance or heightened insulin levels, a precursor to diabetes.

Sounds like quite a sickly bunch they’re testing on — Surely no significant no significant progress can be made with them in only three short months, right?

Using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), which gives an image of the body and shows the different densities of tissue, researchers were able to distinguish between fat, muscle and bone. The results showed that the total proportion of fat in the body, particularly in the abdominal region, was reduced significantly in the FOX (fish oil & exercise) group, but not by fish oil or exercise alone.

Wow. This is the first recent study I’ve found that actually demonstrates that fish oil does indeed produce fat loss. What’s more?

While blood pressure tended to decrease with fish oil alone, the tendency was once again greatest in the FOX group. FOX also had a beneficial effect on heart rate variability, triglyceride levels and artery function.

Amazing results in only 3 months! Dr. Howe also states that “omega-3 protects blood vessel walls by increasing their elasticity and improving endothelial dilation, enabling increased delivery of nutrients to exercising muscles.” This makes me wonder what the effect of fish oil is on building muscle mass when combined with strength training.

If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t just exercise, take fish oil too!

Source: http://www.fishoilblog.com/benefits/fish-oil-exercise-fat-loss.php

No comments: