A new study suggests omega-3 supplements may improve lung performance during training, but is fish oil important for athletes?
As a variable describing lung functioning, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) influence an athlete’s performance both before and during training exercises. In general, FVC refers to lung volume and FEV1 refers to airflow.
Drawing on research conducted during a 12-week study of pulmonary functioning, German and Iranian researchers discovered that fish oil supplements, rich in omega-3 fatty acids improve lung functioning in athletes both before and after exercise. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
The above-mentioned study took place over a period of 12-weeks, and comprised 40 novice wrestlers. The participants were all young adult males with an average age of 18.6 and an average BMI of 22.75k. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of four groups: fish oil and training, fish oil only, training only, and a placebo group.
At the end of the study, the participants in the fish oil and training group saw a 47% average increase in combined FVC/FEV1 measures.
These findings highlight various “far-reaching implications for coaches, trainers, and exercise physiologists” and represent the first of such findings on the relationship between omega-3s and training athletes.
