A new study found increasing intakes of Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids was associated with better hand grip strength (HGS).
Over 18,200 people participated in this cross sectional study. Data was obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during the time period 2016 – 2019. Information was obtained by interviews, nutritional assessments and physical examinations. Hand (HGS) was measured using a digital dynamometer.
Participants with higher reported intakes of Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids showed a significant reduction in the risk of having a low HGS. This association was seen even in those participants with a reduced protein intake and those who did not take part in any resistance training. Additionally participants with type 2 diabetes or hypertension, also saw this association between Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid intake and a reduction in the risk of having a low HGS. However, this association was not seen in healthy participants who did not supplement with Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids even those who did not have an adequate protein intake and did resistance exercise.
It is believed that Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids may contribute to maintaining healthy muscle status and might be administered as an alternative to those with inadequate protein intakes and those not able to partake in resistance training. Researchers believe that Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids may increase muscle synthesis and decrease muscle breakdown.
More studies are needed to validate these findings.
Here is some additional information about Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids:
Chemically a fatty acid is an organic acid with an acid group at one end of its molecule and a methyl at the other end. Fatty acids are categorized in the Omega groups 3, 6 or 9 according to the location of their last double bond.
An Essential Fatty Acid is a fatty acid that the body cannot manufacture by itself, in other words they must be obtained through supplementation or through foods. There are 2 fatty acids that are designated as essential fatty acids: linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. There are more fatty acids than these 2 specific essential fatty acids found in the Omega 3-6-9 groups but a healthy body may be able to manufacture them as long as there is enough linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, so they are considered non-essential fatty acids. There are however certain health benefits to be obtained by intaking some of the non-essential fatty acids directly, especially in the case of the Omega 3 fatty acids.
The Need for More Omega 3
Humans evolved on a diet that had approximately a 1:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA), today our Western diet contains a ratio of 15:1 – 16.7:1. A typical Western diet is deficient in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and has an overabundance of Omega-6 Fatty Acids when compared to the diet in which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established. In a study done by The Harvard School of Public Health over 96,000 deaths in the US were attributed to being caused by an Omega-3 deficiency. Other research shows that excessive amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids and high Omega-6/Omega-3 ratios promote many types of diseases like autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, cancer and cardiovascular disease. It is obvious that increasing Omega-3 Fatty Acid intake is necessary for a healthier population.
Molecular Distillation
The public was made aware of excessive levels of mercury, a neurotoxic heavy metal, as well as PCBs and other toxic organic compounds found in certain fish species from a well-publicized federal advisory in 2001. It was determined that fish oil supplements could also be subject to excessive levels of these neurotoxins. It makes choosing a “CLEAN” fish oil even more important than ever. For this very reason Viva Vitamins uses pure, high quality, molecularly distilled Omega-3 EPA/DHA fish oil in the products they manufacture. Molecular distillation is a process where all heavy metals and PCBs are virtually removed from the fish oil. Additionally extensive testing is performed to verify that all federal standards of purity have not just been met but have been surpassed.
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