Effects of 12 Weeks of Omega 3 Supplementation on Resting Metabolic Rate

University of Guelph

Status: Completed

Conditions: Whole Body Energy Metabolism

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Placebo Pill; Dietary Supplement: Omega-3 Complete

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02092649

14JA044

Details and patient eligibility

About

Fatty acids are the main components of the cell membranes. It has been demonstrated that diet can alter the characteristics and function of many membranes in the body, which has an effect on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Over the last two decades there has been a substantial rise in the research of the effects of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on bodily function. There are two fatty acids that are of particular interest to researchers, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids have unique unsaturated structures, and their incorporation into biological membranes seems to generate important and positive physiological effects. The body is unable to synthesize these fatty acids in high concentrations to elicit significant effects, so they must be obtained through diet in food or via supplementation.

It has been suggested that EPA and DHA supplementation increases resting metabolic rate (RMR) in humans, in part by increasing the use of fat as a fuel during rest. There are a limited number of studies examining the effects of Omega 3 supplementation on RMR. Some have found an increase in RMR while others have found no change. These studies have some limitations, as that they have either used a small sample size, a low omega fatty acid dose and/or short supplementation periods. Due to the variable results, the investigators will improve the reliability of the RMR measurements by making measures on each subject during two consecutive days at each time point that it is measured (0, 6 and 12 weeks).

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of 12 weeks of omega 3 supplementation (3 g/d) on healthy young adults vs. the supplementation of a placebo. The researchers hypothesize that EPA and DHA supplementation will result in an increase in RMR and fat oxidation in some subjects and not in others. The duplicate RMR measures will determine the prevalence and magnitude of the omega 3 supplementation.

Enrollment: 26 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 - 30 years of age.
• Must currently practice a consistent diet and exercise regimen, and maintain this throughout the duration of the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Current or previous supplementation with omega-3's.
• Average fish intake greater than two times per week.
• Taken any medications, have any medical condition, and hospitalization or surgeries.
• Allergy to fish/fish oil, , (rosemary extract, ascorbyl palmitate, or natural tocopherols).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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26 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Omega-3 Complete

Experimental group

Description:

Oral ingestion of 3000 mg (5 capsules) of Omega-3 Complete (Jamieson Laboratories Ltd., Windsor, Ontario, Canada) per day for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Omega-3 Complete

Placebo Pill

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Oral ingestion of 3 capsules of a placebo olive oil pill (Swanson Health Products, PO Box 2803 - Fargo, ND 58108 USA) per day for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Placebo Pill