Effects of Short Term Omega-3 Supplementation on Body Composition, Food Intake, and Lipid Profile in Elite Athletes: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Previous studies consistently showed a key role for omega-3 fatty acids in decreasing fat mass (FM) in animal models. Also, increased omega-3 stimulates fat loss in individuals who experience obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. However, it is not known whether omega-3 supplementation make similar effects in healthy individuals with low FM. This study aimed to investigate the effects of omega-3 on changes in body composition, food intake, and lipid prole in healthy athletes.In this double-blind placebo-controlled RCT, 36 healthy athletes were allocated into omega-3 or placebo groups. Physical activity (global physical activity questionnaire), dietary intake (24-h food recall), anthropometric status, and lipid prole were measured at baseline and after 3-weeks.35 volunteers completed the trial. The weight did not signicantly change at the end of the study. Body fat% decreased signicantly at the end of the study in the omega-3 group (p=0.003), but intergroup differences were not signicant (p=0.77). FM decreased and fat free mass (FFM) increased in omega-3 groups (p<0.05). HDL-C increased (omega-3 group p=0.001; placebo group p=0.01; after adjustment for baseline values p=0.78). Also, in the omega-3 group, energy intake (p=0.0007) and protein intake (p=0.04) increased after intervention, but after baseline adjustments they were not significant.In conclusion, 3-week omega-3 supplementation seems to be not effective in decreased FM, increased HDL-C, and energy and protein intakes in athletes. Further studies are recommended to determine the effect of different doses of omega-3 on adipose tissue and blood lipids in athletes with low FM.Clinical Trial Registration The present study was prospectively registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Studies on December 19, 2019 (ID: 20190625044008N1).