Fish Oil May Aid in Workout Recovery

By now, you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with inflammation and how it affects health, playing a major role in almost every major disease. But not all inflammation is bad. Some, called acute inflammation, is necessary to trigger the healing process. It’s when it hangs around and doesn’t leave that it becomes a problem. 

For example, when we work out, especially at higher intensities or with heavier weights, there is damage done to the muscles as the muscle fibers are broken down. But this is necessary for muscle growth and strength increases. And part of the healing and growth process is inflammation.

The inflammation process involves a couple of stages. In the pro-inflammatory stage, where inflammation is initiated, the body sends neutrophils, white blood cells that act as the body’s first line of defense against injury and illness, to the area in question. During this stage, pro-inflammatory mediators, drawn from fats, also congregate in areas that need repair. These pro-inflammatory mediators are components of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and they aid in the inflammatory process, which ideally lasts just a few hours.

The second stage is all about resolving the inflammation, and it’s the longest stage of healing. During this stage, the body goes from using omega-6s to inflammation-calming omega-3s. Those omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). SPMs are found in marine oils, like fish oil, and are synthesized from eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two types of PUFAs. They play a crucial role in shortening the second phase of inflammation. 

When it comes to recovering muscles, if the inflammatory stage lasts too long, it can impair recovery and muscular performance. Since SPMs help resolve the inflammation, scientists have been working to figure out if taking supplements like fish oil could help accelerate that process. Researchers at Baylor University performed a narrative review to check out the evidence and its strengths and weaknesses. They published their findings in Nutrients. Let’s break down what they found.

How Was This Study Conducted?

Researchers searched databases for previously published studies that met their criteria. They searched with terms like “muscle regeneration,” “pain” and “recovery” combined with “lipid mediators” and other similar terms. Because they were looking for associations between muscle recovery and SPMs, they also included several terms using SPMs and marine oils. 

Since this is a narrative review, researchers simply reported on what previous studies found—they didn’t analyze the data. 

What Did This Study Find?

Researchers uncovered several findings.

• Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are naturally synthesized within the body from eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both found in fish oil. 
• SPMs actively coordinate inflammation resolution rather than temporarily suppressing inflammation, like NSAIDs (i.e. ibuprofen and aspirin) do. 
• Supplementation with traditional omega-3 PUFAs, like fish oil, may help with muscle recovery, but it can take two to four weeks to begin making a difference and a minimum of four weeks to significantly alter skeletal muscle fatty acid composition. 
• Because traditional fish oil can take longer to work, fish oil enriched with SPMs may accelerate recovery.

While this review answered some questions, it also raised a few more. For example, according to some of the studies, quantities of 3 grams and 4.5 grams of SPM-enriched fish oil—but not 1.5 grams—showed an elevation in plasma SPM concentrations within two hours. But it is unknown whether this translates to meaningful exercise recovery benefits.

A major limitation of this study is that there have not yet been human studies done specifically on the topic of SPMs and muscle recovery. Because of this, no conclusions can be drawn yet. 

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

We know that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential for overall good health. This is in large part due to their ability to reduce inflammation. According to this review, specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are synthesized from DHA and EPA, both PUFAs found in marine life, like algae and fish. Salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring are rich sources of omega-3s. And yes, canned fish counts!

But what if you don’t like fish or are allergic? While nuts and seeds are excellent sources of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, consuming alpha-linolenic acid results in just small amounts of PUFAs. So, as long as you’re not allergic, supplementing with a fish oil capsule may be your best option. If you are allergic to seafood or if you follow a vegan eating pattern, then supplementing with algae oil could be a good option. Chatting with a medical professional could help you make the right choice for your needs.

If you’re a regular exerciser and you want to test the theory that SPM-enriched fish oil can help your muscles recover more quickly, you could try one of the SPM-enriched oils available on the market. Just make sure you use one that has been third-party tested for safety and purity. Consumer Lab, NSF International and US Pharmacopeia (USP) are reputable dietary supplement certification programs where supplement companies can voluntarily submit their products for testing. The label will tell you if the product has been third-party tested. 

Regardless of which type of fish oil supplement you take, it’s recommended that you take it with a meal that contains fat. This will increase the amount of omega-3s that are absorbed. 

Our Expert Take

This narrative review found that SPM-enriched fish oil goes to work much faster on inflammation than regular fish oil does. Because no human studies have been performed on muscle recovery and SPM-enriched oils, it is still a theory that SPM-enriched oils can aid in faster muscle recovery, and human trials need to be performed. 

With that said, omega-3s are strongly associated with other health benefits, including for your heart and brain. If you don’t regularly include omega-3-rich seafood in your diet, supplementing can be an excellent way to get necessary eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) into your body.