The Potential Benefits of Omega Fatty Acid Supplementation on Skeletal Muscle Membrane Composition and Function, and Energy Metabolism in Young and Older Men and Women

众所周知，补充OMEGA-3脂肪酸（O3FA）对人体具有许多积极的生理作用，包括降低血脂和炎症指标，改善抗血栓和心血管指标，改善认知功能。所有这些效应的共同点是O3FAs能够改变膜的特性并刺激许多组织中的基因表达。令人惊讶的是，几乎没有研究O3FAs对骨骼肌的影响。这个大器官（一个70公斤的人约28公斤）在我们的日常活动中对身体的运动很重要，通过使用燃料脂肪和碳水化合物来产生运动所需的能量。骨骼肌也是我们白天消耗的CHO和脂质的重要储存场所。久坐不动的人，肌肉燃烧碳水化合物和脂质作为燃料的能力较低，随着年龄的增长、肌肉量的减少和体力活动的减少，这种能力也会下降。加拿大老年人的比例预计将从2005年占总人口的13%增加到2036年的25%，因此这是一个重要的问题。当体力活动水平低，再加上在任何年龄摄入过多的食物，以及随着年龄增长而出现的肌肉质量下降时，各种生活方式和与年龄有关的疾病的风险就会增加。

It is well known that OMEGA-3 fatty acid (O3FA) supplementation exerts a myriad of positive physiological effects in the human body, including lowered blood lipids and inflammatory indices, improved antithrombotic and cardiovascular indices, and improved cognitive function. The common denominator in all these effects is the ability of O3FAs to modify the properties of membranes and to stimulate gene expression in many tissues. Surprisingly, little work has examined the effects of O3FAs on skeletal muscle. This large organ (~28 kg in a 70 kg person) is important for moving the body throughout our daily activities by using the fuels fat and carbohydrate to generate the necessary energy for movement. Skeletal muscle is also an important storage site for the CHO and lipid that we consume during the day. The capacity of muscle to burn carbohydrate and lipid as fuel is low in sedentary individuals and also decreases as we age and lose muscle mass and become less physically active. The proportion of seniors in Canada is predicted to increase from 13% of the total population in 2005 to 25% in 2036, so this is an important concern. When low physical activity levels are coupled with consuming too much food at any age, and the loss of muscle mass that accompanies aging, there is increased risk for a variety of lifestyle and age-related diseases.