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. 2023 Mar 31;15(7):1708.
doi: 10.3390/nu15071708.

Fish Oil Supplementation Improves the Repeated-Bout Effect and Redox Balance in 20-30-Year-Old Men Submitted to Strength Training

Gustavo Barquilha  1 , Cesar Miguel Momesso Dos Santos  1   2   3 , Kim Guimaraes Caçula  1 , Vinícius Coneglian Santos  4 , Tatiana Geraldo Polotow  1 , Cristina Vardaris Vasconcellos  1 , José Alberto Fernandes Gomes-Santos  1 , Luiz Eduardo Rodrigues  1 , Rafael Herling Lambertucci  5 , Tamires Duarte Afonso Serdan  1   6 , Adriana Cristina Levada-Pires  1 , Elaine Hatanaka  1 , Maria Fernanda Cury-Boaventura  1 , Paulo Barbosa de Freitas  1 , Tania Cristina Pithon-Curi  1 , Laureane Nunes Masi  1 , Marcelo Paes Barros  1 , Rui Curi  1   7 , Renata Gorjão  1 , Sandro Massao Hirabara  1
Affiliations

Fish Oil Supplementation Improves the Repeated-Bout Effect and Redox Balance in 20-30-Year-Old Men Submitted to Strength Training

Gustavo Barquilha et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Herein, we investigated the effect of fish oil supplementation combined with a strength-training protocol, for 6 weeks, on muscle damage induced by a single bout of strength exercise in untrained young men. Sixteen men were divided into two groups, supplemented or not with fish oil, and they were evaluated at the pre-training period and post-training period. We investigated changes before and 0, 24, and 48 h after a single hypertrophic exercise session. Creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and the redox imbalance were increased in response to the single-bout session of hypertrophic exercises at baseline (pre-training period) and decreased during the post-training period in the control group due to the repeated-bout effect (RBE). The fish oil supplementation exacerbated this reduction and improved the redox state. In summary, our findings demonstrate that, in untrained young men submitted to a strength-training protocol, fish oil supplementation is ideal for alleviating the muscle injury, inflammation, and redox imbalance induced by a single session of intense strength exercises, highlighting this supplementation as a beneficial strategy for young men that intend to engage in strength-training programs.

Keywords: inflammation; muscle damage; n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; non-linear strength training; oxidative stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of the fish oil supplementation on plasma activity of (A) creatine kinase (CK) and (C) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), in response to a single bout of strength exercises, at baseline (pre-training period) and after 6 weeks of daily undulating strength training (post-training period). On the left, time-dependent plasma CK and LDH activities (before and 0, 24, and 48 h after a single bout of strength exercises). On the right, decrease in the area under curve (AUC) of the temporal plasma CK (B) and LDH (D) activities after 6 weeks of daily undulating strength training. Results presented as mean ± S.E.M. p < 0.02 for CK activity, and p < 0.05 for LDH activity, comparing control group with fish oil group.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of the fish oil supplementation on plasma activity of (A) creatine kinase (CK) and (C) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), in response to a single bout of strength exercises, at baseline (pre-training period) and after 6 weeks of daily undulating strength training (post-training period). On the left, time-dependent plasma CK and LDH activities (before and 0, 24, and 48 h after a single bout of strength exercises). On the right, decrease in the area under curve (AUC) of the temporal plasma CK (B) and LDH (D) activities after 6 weeks of daily undulating strength training. Results presented as mean ± S.E.M. p < 0.02 for CK activity, and p < 0.05 for LDH activity, comparing control group with fish oil group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of fish oil supplementation on plasma interlekin-6 (IL-6) (A) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (C) concentrations, in response to a single bout of strength exercises, at baseline (pre-training period) and after 6 weeks of non-linear strength training (post-training period). On the left, time-dependent plasma concentration (before and 0, 24, and 48 h after a single session of hypertrophic exercises). On the right, reduction in the area under curve (AUC) of the temporal plasma concentrations of IL-6 (B) and CRP (D) after 6 weeks of daily undulating training, associated or not with fish oil supplementation. Results presented as mean ± S.E.M. p < 0.02 for IL-6, and p < 0.05 for CRP, comparing control group with fish oil group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of fish oil supplementation on plasma interlekin-6 (IL-6) (A) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (C) concentrations, in response to a single bout of strength exercises, at baseline (pre-training period) and after 6 weeks of non-linear strength training (post-training period). On the left, time-dependent plasma concentration (before and 0, 24, and 48 h after a single session of hypertrophic exercises). On the right, reduction in the area under curve (AUC) of the temporal plasma concentrations of IL-6 (B) and CRP (D) after 6 weeks of daily undulating training, associated or not with fish oil supplementation. Results presented as mean ± S.E.M. p < 0.02 for IL-6, and p < 0.05 for CRP, comparing control group with fish oil group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of fish supplementation on plasma testosterone:cortisol ratio in response to a single bout of strength exercise before (pre-training) and after (post-training) 6 weeks of daily undulating strength training. Results presented as mean ± S.E.M.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of fish oil supplementation on redox parameters in response to a single bout of strength exercise after 6 weeks of daily undulating strength training (post-training period). Results presented as mean ± S.E.M. (A) Areas under curves (AUC) were calculated to express total concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers in plasma pre- and 24 h post-exercise; (B) Reduced/oxidized glutathione ratios (GSH/GSSG) pre- and 24 h post-exercise.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Actions of n-3 PUFA (A) and effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on muscle damage induced by a single session of strength exercises after 6 weeks of non-linear strength training (post-training period) (B).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Actions of n-3 PUFA (A) and effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on muscle damage induced by a single session of strength exercises after 6 weeks of non-linear strength training (post-training period) (B).
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