Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Sep 25;10(9):e0139174.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139174. eCollection 2015.

The Effect of Krill Oil Supplementation on Exercise Performance and Markers of Immune Function

Mariasole Da Boit  1 , Ina Mastalurova  1 , Goda Brazaite  1 , Niall McGovern  1 , Keith Thompson  1 , Stuart Robert Gray  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Effect of Krill Oil Supplementation on Exercise Performance and Markers of Immune Function

Mariasole Da Boit et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Krill oil is a rich source of the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which may alter immune function after exercise. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of krill oil supplementation on post exercise immune function and performance.

Methods: Nineteen males and 18 females (age: 25.8 ± 5.3 years; mean ± S.D.) were randomly assigned to 2 g/day of krill oil (n = 18) or placebo (n = 19) supplementation for 6 weeks. A maximal incremental exercise test and cycling time trial (time to complete set amount of work) were performed pre-supplementation with the time trial repeated post-supplementation. Blood samples collected pre- and post- supplementation at rest, and immediately, 1 and 3h post-exercise. Plasma IL-6 and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentrations and, erythrocyte fatty acid composition were measured. Natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic activity and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-17 and IFNγ production were also measured.

Results: No effects of gender were noted for any variable. PBMC IL-2 and NK cell cytotoxic activity were greater (P < 0.05) 3h post exercise in the krill oil compared to the control group. Plasma IL-6 and TBARS, PBMC IL-4, IL-10, IL-17 and IFNγ production, along with performance and physiological measures during exercise, were not different between groups.

Conclusion: Six weeks of krill oil supplementation can increase PBMC IL-2 production and NK cell cytotoxic activity 3h post-exercise in both healthy young males and females. Krill oil does not modify exercise performance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: This study received financial support from Aker Biomarine AS. This did not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. The effect of 6 weeks krill oil/placebo supplementation on heart rate, oxygen consumption and time taken to complete the time trial (pre and post 6 weeks supplementation).
Fig 2
Fig 2. The effect of 6 weeks krill oil/placebo supplementation on plasma IL-6 and TBARS (expressed as MDA concentration) before and after exercise.
* denotes a significant difference (P<0.05) from baseline in both groups.
Fig 3
Fig 3. The effect of 6 weeks krill oil/placebo supplementation on exercise induced cytokine production by PBMCs stimulated with concanavalin A.
* indicates significant difference (P<0.05) from baseline values. † indicates significant difference (P<0.05) between groups.
Fig 4
Fig 4. The effect of 6 weeks krill oil/placebo supplementation on NK cell cytotoxic activity at 50:1 and 25:1 effector:target cell ratio, before and after exercise.
* indicates significant difference (P<0.05) from baseline values. † indicates significant difference between groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Lemaitre RN, King IB, Mozaffarian D, Kuller LH, Tracy RP, Siscovick DS. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fatal ischemic heart disease, and nonfatal myocardial infarction in older adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2003; 77:319–25. - PubMed
    1. Nettleton JA, Katz R. n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in type 2 diabetes: A review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2005; 105:428–40. - PubMed
    1. Calder PC. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory processes: new twists in an old tale. Biochimie. 2009; 91:791–795 10.1016/j.biochi.2009.01.008 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yaqoob P, Pala HS, Cortina-Borja M, Newsholme EA, Calder PC. Encapsulated fish oil enriched in alpha-tocopherol alters plasma phospholipid and mononuclear cell fatty acid compositions but not mononuclear cell functions. European journal of clinical investigation. 2000; 30:260–74. - PubMed
    1. Calder PC. Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes. Nutrients. 2010; 2:355–74. 10.3390/nu2030355 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

This work was supported with funding from Aker Biomarine Antarctic AS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.