Omega-3s: Lose fat, Get Abs, Gain Muscle

Diet and Nutrition
1

Hey T-Nation great article for you guys and I hope it helps someone!

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Enhanced Health, Muscle Gains, and Ripped Abs!

By Andrew McInroy, B. Sc. Nutrition

Omega-3 fatty acids may be one of the most under rated supplements on the market right now. When people ask you what supplements you’re on, they expect to hear: protein, the craziest new pre-workout, and a new muscle builder you read about in a magazine. From now on you better be including the omega-3 fatty acid supplements in your regime too. Not only are they important for your health, they can also increase your muscle gains and help with fat loss! Read on!

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential which means that you must obtain them from your diet since our body cannot synthesize them. The two main omega-3 fatty acids that we want to be concerned with are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Sources of Omega-3 fatty acids are fish oils and some plant oils, especially flaxseed oil. DHA is highly concentrated in the brains of mammals, but I am not going to recommend that you eat brains, after all this is not zombie nutrition!

Positive Health Effects: The positive health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids alone make it worth taking. Omega-3 fatty acids help to regulate blood pressure which is important for weightlifters that often have high blood pressure from AAS usage. Blood triglycerides and blood cholesterol are positively affected by omega-3s. As noted previously, omega-3s are a structural component of the brain and also the eyes.

There is no doubt that omega-3s have a positive effect on cardiovascular health and studies have proven that omega-3s are very beneficial in preventing heart disease. Omega-3s have also been shown to be helpful in treating depression and some evidence shows that it may help to reduce anxiety. Some studies have also shown that omega-3 fatty acids may have anti-cancer effects but this is a complex topic so feel free to search the net for more information. Omega-3s also have been shown to enhance immune function.

Joint Problems? Omega-3s help to reduce joint pain because they have anti-inflammatory effects. Many people have experienced relief from supplementation with them so don’t let pain in your knees and elbows stop you from achieving your goals.

So now you see that Omega-3 fatty acids can help you with your general health but lets be real here, we are performance junkies, so lets talk about what it can do to help you in the gym.

Insulin sensitization: In order to achieve the best results possible, you need to get the highest quality nutrients to your muscles. But this is only going to happen if your muscles are functioning properly so that the nutrients can enter.

Part of opening up the muscle cells is that the hormone insulin needs to attach to the insulin receptor on the muscle but unfortunately sometimes these receptors become desensitized and nutrient uptake is not as good. Omega-3s to the rescue! In research they have been shown to enhance insulin sensitivity. This means that they are going to help nutrient uptake and therefore enhance muscle gains.

Better Pump: The positive effects of omega-3s on blood values and the circulatory system make it easier for our blood to get to our muscles. Many people have used omega-3s to get a better pump. Try it! Take some fish oil or have some salmon with your pre-workout meal.

Get Shredded Abs! Studies have shown that omega-3s have helped with reducing body fat and a lot of the fat loss occurs in the stomach area! Furthermore, omega-3s enhance fatty acid oxidation (fat burning!) because they are easily pulled out of the cell membrane for energy.

Enhanced Protein Synthesis: Protein synthesis is muscle building and a recent study showed that omega-3 fatty acids enhanced protein synthesis! The omega-3s increased activity of the mTOR-p70s6k pathway which is very anabolic.

The Best Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Salmon Oil Pills (found here on the paramount-supplements store!), Herring, Sardines, mackerel, salmon, halibut, tuna, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, chia seed, and perilla.

The take home message: Dont stick to just whey, beef and eggs! If you want to really enhance your health, muscle and strength gains and get those ripped abs, you better make sure that you include your omega-3 fatty acids! Salmon oil pills are a must for all serious athletes and bodybuilders.

2

Umm. Thanks.

tweet

3

[quote]theBird wrote:
Umm. Thanks.

tweet[/quote]

Why are you being rude? I am trying to help people.

4

[quote]AndrewMcInroy wrote:

[quote]theBird wrote:
Umm. Thanks.

tweet[/quote]

Why are you being rude? I am trying to help people. [/quote]

Well you did say “found here at ‘Biotest competitor’ store!”

There’s Flameout right here in the Biotest store.

You also kinda pointed out what everyone already knows and there have been countless articles on this website stating all of the above.

You need to write for your audience and not just mass copy and pasting things. This might have been helpful for the mass public but it’s just stating the obvious on a bodybuilding/supplement company’ forum.

5

What would have been interesting is a study pointing to recommended daily intakes of DHA and EPA. Most on this site already know the importance of including Omega-3 supplements.

6

How much omega-3 would you suggest to take daily to get the full benefits from it ?

7

http://www.axellus.no/images/Marketing/rotator/Mollers%20Tran%20naturell.gif

Tran( oil extracted from fish liver ) have been recommended by the norwegian government( that part of the government that give out dietary advice to promote general health among its citizenry ) since the 1930`s or perhaps earlier. Good to see you heard the “news”

8

Provide sources. Otherwise, this is plagiarism. Or you made it up. Those are the only 2 options when sources aren’t cited.

9

Aside from the lack of sources, can omega 3 be digested if taken less than 30 minutes before a workout (in a shake)?

10

[quote]dreadlocks1221 wrote:
Aside from the lack of sources, can omega 3 be digested if taken less than 30 minutes before a workout (in a shake)? [/quote]

The concern some people harbor in this instance is that fats will slow the absorption of other macronutrients. That is why those who’d rather be safe than sorry will avoid Fats around their training time.

S

11

Another reason to source: When readers have questions about your interpretation of research date, a link to a credible source gives readers the opportunity to draw their own conclusions as well, and see the science behind your summaries. What you’ve posted essentially amounts to Bro-science.

Whether your statements are true or not, there’s no way for me or anyone else to know if you’re getting your information directly from a primary source (an original study), or if you just read someone else’s interpretations of various studies, and reiterated them, with your name at the top.

My guess is, you did the latter, since everything you wrote is presented in dozens of other well-cited articles. That’s lazy and fraudulent on your part. If you want to call yourself a ‘top nutritionist,’ you have to do the groundwork. Publish papers. Do research. Learn your craft from the ground up. Don’t steal ideas from other people who have done all of the above, under the guise of ‘just trying to help people’.

12

[quote]AndrewMcInroy wrote:
There is no doubt that omega-3s have a positive effect on cardiovascular health and studies have proven that omega-3s are very beneficial in preventing heart disease. [/quote]

[i]Doctors have also believed that taking omega-3s as supplements can offer a similar protective benefit to the heart. But a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine throws the theory into doubt: according to the analysis of 14 controlled trials in which nearly 20,500 patients with a history of heart disease were randomly assigned to take omega-3 supplements or placebo, those taking the fatty acid pills had about the same rates of heart disease, death from heart attacks, congestive heart failure and stroke as those on placebo.

Read more: Fish Oil Doesn't Prevent Second Heart Events in Heart Disease Patients | TIME.com

Thanks for telling me nothing I can’t find on Wikipedia – minus the citations and critical thinking. This honestly looks like something I would’ve cranked out 15 minutes before it was due freshman year in HS.

Also, no one cares that you have a Bachelor’s degree in… anything, really… at least, not enough to warrant putting that “credential” after your name.

13

[quote]ds1973 wrote:
What would have been interesting is a study pointing to recommended daily intakes of DHA and EPA. Most on this site already know the importance of including Omega-3 supplements.[/quote]

Agreed. The DHA/EPA ratio makes a difference.

14

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]dreadlocks1221 wrote:
Aside from the lack of sources, can omega 3 be digested if taken less than 30 minutes before a workout (in a shake)? [/quote]

The concern some people harbor in this instance is that fats will slow the absorption of other macronutrients. That is why those who’d rather be safe than sorry will avoid Fats around their training time.

S[/quote]

Would there be any benefit of mixing fish oils in a prebed shake (more time to digest)? Would that make the benefits available to you if you workout first thing in the morning?

15

lol this kid is like the next 2020wellness. why do all the bb.com kids come to this site.

16

[quote]flipcollar wrote:
That’s lazy and fraudulent on your part. If you want to call yourself a ‘top nutritionist,’ you have to do the groundwork. Publish papers. Do research. Learn your craft from the ground up. Don’t steal ideas from other people who have done all of the above, under the guise of ‘just trying to help people’.[/quote]

[quote]anonym wrote:
Also, no one cares that you have a Bachelor’s degree in… anything, really… at least, not enough to warrant putting that “credential” after your name.[/quote]

LMAOOOOO…

The jury’s out on whether any of this sticks, but that the OP is getting schooled here is undeniable.

17

Citing sources is important, particularly regarding information that is not well established as fact by the scientific and public communities. However, citations are not required and are elementary when accompanying common knowledge in the scientific and public communities unless adding new information to or disputing well-established facts.

However, I noticed one unkind response is based on the fact this information has little or no value to the fitness community because this information is so widely known. Hence, citations are of little value or consequence to the average reader because these facts are well established in the community (really?).

On the other hand, several other unkind responses to this article imply this information is of little value because it is not supported by reference to scientific studies. Which is it? Common knowledge or little known facts that need scientific support to lend credibility to the writer?s conclusions. Pick one argument because it cannot be both.

However, first let me say that this article is of great value. In fact, it’s as valuable as the thousands of articles that repeat over and over how much protein/carbs/fats fitness enthusiast require and more valuable than the “countless articles on this website stating all of the above” for two simple reasons. One, it’s valuable to TNation because it captured at least one seeking reader to this cite: me. The other articles did not because I did not encounter them on my journey to and through this cite. And two, because although I’ve read a book on Omega-3, this information reminded me that Omega 3 helps gain muscle and loose fat. Probably because the most salient benefit of omega 3 is reducing inflammation. So this information was of value to me, a TNation reader. And three, this article prompted further conversation and points to think about.

Second, while it is true that this writer does need to cite sources because these facts are not common knowledge (yes, he should know that being educated with at least an undergrad degree), However, all members (particularly administration) of this cite should be driven to help others including newbies, those experienced and the contributors, not to alienate them. That said, I am truly surprised at the personally destructive nature of the rudeness above.

In conclusion, shouldn’t the goal be to add value to the TNation community? Doesn’t that include helping to educate, lift, and engage contributors? Wouldn’t kind advice do a better job of building a community that others want to be a part of? Attacking others is so… uncivilized. Or is it, childish, uneducated, and unprofessional. I can tell you one thing; it likely is effectively alienating readers because no one wants to be attacked or see others attacked by high and mighty contributors. Most of us are attracted to online communities that lift others.

Thanks Andrew!

18

[quote]InGoditrst wrote:
Citing sources is important, particularly regarding information that is not well established as fact by the scientific and public communities. However, citations are not required and are elementary when accompanying common knowledge in the scientific and public communities unless adding new information to or disputing well-established facts.

However, I noticed one unkind response is based on the fact this information has little or no value to the fitness community because this information is so widely known. Hence, citations are of little value or consequence to the average reader because these facts are well established in the community (really?).

On the other hand, several other unkind responses to this article imply this information is of little value because it is not supported by reference to scientific studies. Which is it? Common knowledge or little known facts that need scientific support to lend credibility to the writer?s conclusions. Pick one argument because it cannot be both.

However, first let me say that this article is of great value. In fact, it’s as valuable as the thousands of articles that repeat over and over how much protein/carbs/fats fitness enthusiast require and more valuable than the “countless articles on this website stating all of the above” for two simple reasons. One, it’s valuable to TNation because it captured at least one seeking reader to this cite: me. The other articles did not because I did not encounter them on my journey to and through this cite. And two, because although I’ve read a book on Omega-3, this information reminded me that Omega 3 helps gain muscle and loose fat. Probably because the most salient benefit of omega 3 is reducing inflammation. So this information was of value to me, a TNation reader. And three, this article prompted further conversation and points to think about.

Second, while it is true that this writer does need to cite sources because these facts are not common knowledge (yes, he should know that being educated with at least an undergrad degree), However, all members (particularly administration) of this cite should be driven to help others including newbies, those experienced and the contributors, not to alienate them. [/quote]

First and foremost, nice first post and welcome to the board!

Secondly, welcome to the internet.

Stick around and check the forums out, you’ll find plenty of this here.

You left out ‘plenty entertaining.’

Again, its the internet and all.

Stick around and check the forums out, you’ll find plenty of this here. And again, welcome!

19

chillain, I think Andrew made another account. Quite the coincidence that a white knight happened to be galloping by to rescue him from all the T-dragons and T-ogres.

Join Date:
2012-06-07
Last Log In:
Today, 09:27 PM
Occupation:
business
Years Training:
1
Weight:
120 lbs
Height:
5’
Body Fat %:
25

updates
Friend InGoditrst has posted in thread Omega-3s: Lose fat, Get Abs, Gain Muscle Today 18:51

20

[quote]MattyG35 wrote:
chillain, I think Andrew made another account. Quite the coincidence that a white knight happened to be galloping by to rescue him from all the T-dragons and T-ogres.
[/quote]

Yep. Always beware first-time posters with brand-new accounts.