Trial reportThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2013
The impact of supplemental n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary antioxidants on physical performance in postmenopausal women.
Trial report in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 131 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effect of Long ChainNutrients · 2023Pooled it
- The Influence of n-3PUFA Supplementation on Muscle Strength, Mass, and Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength and Muscle Performance among the Elderly: A Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Randomised Controlled Trial of Fish Oil Supplementation on Responsiveness to Resistance Exercise Training in Sarcopenic Older Women.Nutrients · 2022Trial
- Does supplementation with leucine-enriched protein alone and in combination with fish-oil-derived n-3 PUFA affect muscle mass, strength, physical performance, and muscle protein synthesis in well-nourished older adults? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2021Trial
- Omega-3 Supplementation Improves Isometric Strength But Not Muscle Anabolic and Catabolic Signaling in Response to Resistance Exercise in Healthy Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Association of Fish Oil and Physical Activity on Mobility Disability in Older Adults.Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- ENabling Reduction of Low-grade Inflammation in SEniors Pilot Study: Concept, Rationale, and Design.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2017Trial
- A High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Multinutrient Supplement Benefits Cognition and Mobility in Older Women: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Pilot Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2016Trial
- The Effect of a 12-Week Omega-3 Supplementation on Body Composition, Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in Elderly Individuals with Decreased Muscle Mass.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2015Trial
- Trial
- Strategies to mitigate muscle mass loss in individuals with spinal cord injury.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2026Review
- The Role of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Sarcopenia and Aging Muscle.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- Exploring the nexus between inflammation and mobility through the lens of healthy aging: current scenario and future perspectives.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Review
- Current perspectives on sarcopenia: diagnosis and therapeutic approaches.The Korean journal of internal medicine · 2025Review
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesIdentify relationships and evaluate effects of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) on frailty and physical performance.
designRandomized, double blind pilot study.
settingUniversity General Clinical Research Center.
participants126 postmenopausal women.
intervention2 fish oil (1.2g eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) or 2 placebo (olive oil) capsules per day for 6 months. All participants received calcium and vitamin D supplements. MEASUREMENTS: Fatty acid levels, frailty assessment, hand grip strength, 8 foot walk, body composition, medical history and co-morbidities, nutrient intake, and inflammatory biomarkers taken at baseline and 6 months.
resultsAt baseline, those with greater red blood cell (RBC) DHA and DHA/arachidonic acid (AA) presented with less frailty (r = -0.242, p=0.007 and r = -0.254, p=0.004, respectively). Fish oil supplementation resulted in higher RBC DHA and lower AA compared to baseline and placebo (p<0.001) and an improvement in walking speed compared to placebo (3.0±16 vs. -3.5±14, p=0.038). A linear regression model included age, antioxidant intake (selenium and vitamin C), osteoarthritis, frailty phenotype, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). The model explained 13.6% of the variance in the change in walking speed. Change in DHA/AA (p=0.01) and TNFα (p=0.039), and selenium intake (p=0.031) had the greatest contribution to change in walking speed.
conclusionPhysical performance, measured by change in walking speed, was significantly affected by fish oil supplementation. Dietary intake of antioxidants (selenium and vitamin C) and changes in TNFα also contributed to change in walking speed suggesting LCPUFA may interact with antioxidants and inflammatory response to impact physical performance.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.