Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37504930›Full record

ReviewMarine drugs2023

The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Sarcopenia: Mechanism of Action and Potential Efficacy.

Atiporn Therdyothin, Nacharin Phiphopthatsanee, Masoud Isanejad

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Marine drugs, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
48citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
12.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

48 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Nutrients · 2026
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. The Role of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Sarcopenia and Aging Muscle.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Review
  15. The sarcopenia-pain connection: why mechanisms matter for patient care?Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Atiporn TherdyothinDepartment of Musculoskeletal Ageing and Science, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2013-0278
Nacharin PhiphopthatsaneeSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AZ, UK.
Masoud IsanejadDepartment of Musculoskeletal Ageing and Science, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3720-5152
University of Liverpool · GBSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sarcopenia, a progressive disease characterized by a decline in muscle strength, quality, and mass, affects aging population worldwide, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Besides resistance exercise, various nutritional strategies, including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) supplementation, have been sought to prevent this condition. This narrative review summarizes the current evidence on the effect and mechanism of n-3 PUFA on musculoskeletal health. Despite conflicting evidence, n-3 PUFA is suggested to benefit muscle mass and volume, with more evident effects with higher supplementation dose (>2 g/day). n-3 PUFA supplementation likely improves handgrip and quadriceps strength in the elderly. Improved muscle functions, measured by walking speed and time-up-to-go test, are also observed, especially with longer duration of supplementation (>6 months), although the changes are small and unlikely to be clinically meaningful. Lastly, n-3 PUFA supplementation may positively affect muscle protein synthesis response to anabolic stimuli, alleviating age-related anabolic resistance. Proposed mechanisms by which n-3 PUFA supplementation improves muscle health include 1. anti-inflammatory properties, 2. augmented expression of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway, 3. decreased intracellular protein breakdown, 4. improved mitochondrial biogenesis and function, 5. enhanced amino acid transport, and 6. modulation of neuromuscular junction activity. In conclusion, n-3 PUFAs likely improve musculoskeletal health related to sarcopenia, with suggestive effect on muscle mass, strength, physical performance, and muscle protein synthesis. However, the interpretation of the findings is limited by the small number of participants, heterogeneity of supplementation regimens, and different measuring protocols.

Indexed as

Fatty Acids, Omega-3SarcopeniaAgedDietary SupplementsHand StrengthHumansMuscle ProteinsMuscle, SkeletalFatty Acids, Omega-3Muscle Proteinsageinganti-inflammationfish oilmuscle functionmuscle massmuscle protein synthesismuscle strengthomega-3 fatty acidpolyunsaturated fatty acidsarcopenia

Identifiers

PMID37504930
PMCPMC10381755
OpenAlexW4384202511

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.