#081 The Anabolic Potential of Omega-3 Fatty Acids | Chris McGlory, PhD
FoundMyFitness
Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.
4.8 • 5.5K Ratings
🗓️ 3 July 2023
⏱️ 97 minutes
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Summary
Dr. Chris McGlory is an assistant professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Known for his work in the field of muscle physiology and aging, Dr. McGlory's research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle protein synthesis and degradation, with a particular emphasis on the roles that omega-3 fatty acids play in maintaining muscle health in older adults.
In this episode, we discuss:
- (00:00) Introduction
- (05:50) Start of interview
- (13:03) Why atrophy is worse for the old than the young
- (15:23) Can dietary protein prevent atrophy?
- (17:35) Why reduced movement can insidiously mimic short-term immobilization
- (22:51) The disability threshold — when atrophy may actually be deadly
- (24:58) Does high-dose omega-3 hold the key to fighting atrophy? (5g/day)
- (28:35) Does omega-3 help muscle respond more optimally to low protein?
- (41:37) Why omega-3 must be preloaded for 4 to 6 weeks
- (44:20) Why omega-3 trials have conflicting results
- (50:16) Does omega-3 enhance strength?
- (52:42) Sex differences in gaining mass and strength
- (54:46) Improvements in gait speed and balance (muscle performance / physical performance battery)
- (55:49) How to act on mixed evidence — and should we?
- (58:17) Why omega-3 may reduce frailty in old age
- (1:01:59) Why the anabolic mechanisms are counterintuitive (going beyond the canonical anti-inflammatory role of omega-3)
- (1:07:42) Do omega-3s boost tired, dysfunctional mitochondria?
- (1:15:16) Why we need an "omega-3 index" for muscle
- (1:18:52) Why the inflammation from cancer wastes muscle
- (1:20:38) Does omega-3 reduce atrophy from cancer cachexia?
Show notes are available by clicking here
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today's episode will cover something profound, something a little unexpected, which is yet |
| 0:05.1 | another role for omega-3 fatty acids. |
| 0:07.8 | We are not going to talk about brain function, cardiovascular risk, and surprisingly not |
| 0:11.8 | even that much about inflammation. |
| 0:13.6 | Instead, we're going to dive deep into the role of omega-3 fatty acids and their impact |
| 0:17.8 | on muscle health, and the role of omega-3 for disused atrophy, and perhaps even a role |
| 0:23.8 | in building muscle. |
| 0:25.6 | Picture this scenario. |
| 0:26.8 | If injured your leg or you've had a surgery and your leg or legs have been immobilized |
| 0:31.1 | for weeks, as the cast comes off or as you're able to walk again, you notice a significant |
| 0:36.9 | loss in muscle mass and strength. |
| 0:39.4 | Even if you're otherwise young and healthy, as little as two weeks could result in nearly |
| 0:43.6 | 15% loss in the cross-sectional area of your quadricep muscle. |
| 0:48.7 | This is devastating, but even more so if you're an elderly person. |
| 0:53.1 | This kind of event can trigger a downward spiral and a crossing of a disability threshold, |
| 0:58.1 | a point at which physical function has become so severely impaired that it now undermines |
| 1:03.3 | the daily activities that ordinarily would prevent even greater muscle loss. |
| 1:08.7 | Once this threshold is crossed, it leads to a catabolic crisis. |
| 1:12.7 | This state perpetuates the body's breakdown of muscle progressing catastrophically towards |
| 1:17.3 | mortality. |
| 1:18.3 | But, consider if, in that same scenario, you could cut that disused muscle atrophy nearly |
| 1:24.5 | in half. |
... |
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