Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Skeletal Muscle Health

 

Introduction

The World Health Organisation estimates that in the last three decades global obesity has almost doubled to over 1.4 billion, meaning that as much as one third of westernised populations are classed as overweight/obese. Concurrent with the increase in obesity rates is an increase in obesity related disorders such as type 2 Diabetes (T2D), sarcopenic obesity and cardiovascular disease making obesity one of the major healthcare issues facing the world. Being overweight/obese increases the risk of developing diabetes by up to 30% [1]. The cost of primary diabetes care for the UK National Health Service (NHS) is currently at £9.8 billion/annum and is expected to continue rising (NHS). Skeletal muscle is a major site of glucose disposal, accounting for approximately 30% of postprandial glucose disposal [2]. Maintaining skeletal muscle metabolic health is therefore key to maintaining glycaemic control. Strategies that improve skeletal muscle metabolic function and insulin sensitivity could therefore have a major impact on the obesity induced development of insulin resistance and diabetes and reduce health care costs and improve quality of life. Skeletal muscle mass maintenance is not only crucial to the maintenance of metabolic function, but also through the control of locomotion it is also critical to the maintenance of physical function. Skeletal muscle (depending on adiposity levels) accounts for approximately 40% of total body mass and is highly adaptable to environmental changes such as diet and physical activity levels [3,4]. Loss of muscle mass with progressing age is an inevitable aspect of the aging process [5]. Reductions in skeletal muscle mass and metabolic function can have detrimental effects on overall health and is a major contributing factor to the onset of disease with age [6]. Loss of muscle mass and subsequent physical function not only places the individual at greater risk of chronic disease but leads to frailty and reduced quality of life [6]. From the age of approximately 50, skeletal muscle mass declines by 0.2%–0.5%/year and this loss is accelerated in a diseased state [7]. Moreover, as little as a 5% decrease in skeletal muscle mass has been associated with increased morbidity [8]. If the rate of sarcopenia (age related loss of muscle mass) can be reduced by 10% this would translate to a saving in US health care costs of $1.1 billion per year [9]. Therefore, it is of great clinical relevance to find effective therapies for improving muscle mass and metabolic function. Recent evidence suggests that manipulating the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of skeletal muscle may improve muscle function and metabolism [10,11]. In this review, we will focus on the potential therapeutic role and molecular mechanism of action of omega-3 PUFAs, with an emphasis on marine derived omega-3 PUFAs, in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolic and physical function.

Ref

Marine Drugs. 2015 Nov 19;13(11):6977–7004. doi: 10.3390/md13116977

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Skeletal Muscle Health

Stewart Jeromson 1, Iain J Gallagher 1, Stuart D R Galloway 1, D Lee Hamilton 1,*

Editor: Valerie Smith1