By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES
Thought I would share this article with you all. Enjoy!
You are getting older.
And so is a good majority of our population and the world.
With an estimated 77.6 million baby boomers, it’s a fact that we are getting older.
And there is nothing you can do about it!
But you may be able to control the SPEED of aging.
Watching your diet may help you maintain a healthy body weight.
And exercise may strengthen your muscles, which may lead to overall better body composition.
Strength training may also increase strength in your muscles and bones.
And this may add YEARS back to your life, figuratively speaking.
But there is ONE IMPORTANT nutrient you need to remember to take as you get older.
And this one nutrient may improve your heart health and you may shed a pound or two.
Plus, now it may help increase your overall strength and force production.
Let me explain…
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats which your body cannot make.
Omega-3 fatty acids are broken down into three sources:
• ALA (plant based)
• DHA
• EPA
DHA and EPA may be found in Krill oil and fish oil.
However, you may have heard that Krill Oil is better than Fish oil.
As a review…
Fish oil and Krill oil BOTH contain DHA and EPA.
And fish oil may contain slightly higher levels than Krill oil.
However, the way the structure of Krill compared to fish oil is the KEY.
In fish oil, the omega-3 fatty acids are bound by a triglyceride backbone.
And in Krill oil, the omega-3 fatty acids are bound by a phospholipid backbone.
And this is the BIGGEST difference between the two.
Krill oil only contains 62.8% omega-3 fatty acids.
But due to the chemical makeup, it may improve the absorption rate in your intestines.
This means that you may INCREASE omega-3 levels in your blood.
And this may make it MORE powerful than just regular fish oil of which the absorption rate may be significantly LOWER.
ALA is another form of an omega-3 fatty acid, and may not be as beneficial as Krill or fish oil.
The problem with ALA is this: once ingested, ALA may have to be further processed to turn it into DHA.
And this conversion of ALA to DHA may not be very efficient.
You may not get as much DHA from ALA that you would find in Krill oil.
In order for you to increase more omega-3 fatty acids intake, it may be recommended to increase your vegetable intake AND your intake of fatty fish.
Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health.
It may also improve symptoms of depression, arthritis, and possibly cancer.
But now, omega-3 fatty acids may possess the ability to improve the quality of life as you age.
Give me a minute to explain…
Strength Training And Aging
One way to stop the age-related decline in muscle loss may be to turn to strength-based exercises.
And with more and more people aging and reaching baby boomer status, the population of older adults who exercise IS EXPLODING.
Strength training progressively promotes overload to your muscles, possibly increasing muscle size and strength.
This tissue may be more metabolically active than fat tissue, possibly leading to weight loss or even more muscle tone.
But that’s not all that strength training does!
Exercise, in general, may improve strength and endurance in your muscles, and may also put stress on your bones.
And this stress may strengthen your bones, therefore possibly improving, or even preventing, age-related osteoporosis.
And let’s not forget about weight loss.
Increasing muscle tissue may increase a metabolically active tissue.
And this tissue may need more CALORIES in order to keep you running throughout the day.
Having more lean mass (muscles) may increase your resting metabolic rate, so you may have more calorie burn throughout the day - even while SLEEPING.
This may improve body composition by burning your fat stores to use as energy.
This may leave you trim and tone way into your golden years.
Omega-3 fatty acids may provide even MORE benefits than you already know about.
Researchers in Brazil may have discovered AMAZING benefits regarding omega-3 fatty acids and strength training.
It may SHOCK you to know that omega-3 fatty acids MAY IMPROVE your strength as you get older.
The Research
Researchers in Brazil recruited 45 women with a mean age of 64.
They divided the women into three groups
• Strength training only
• Strength training with omega-3 fatty acids for 90 days
• Strength training with omega-3 fatty acids for 150 days
The researchers wanted to see if omega-3 fatty acids may benefit muscle strength and development.
After 90 days of strength training, the researchers were SHOCKED by their findings.
They noticed that all three groups increased their strength and muscle force.
But more importantly, the group supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids showed SIGNIFICANT improvements in strength than the strength training alone group.
They concluded that strength training DID improve strength in elderly women and in ALL groups, but that groups supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids showed significant improvements in muscle strength AND functional capacity.
Take Home Message
Aging affects everyone differently.
And with the baby boomer population increasing, there are plenty of people looking for the fountain of youth.
Exercise may increase longevity due to altering body composition and blood lipid profiles.
And it may also strengthen your muscles and bones.
Omega-3 fatty acids and strength training combined may STRENGTHEN and improve muscle force.
And this may lead to increased lean mass, which may alter your body composition - for the better.
In order to increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake, you should increase your marine (fish) intake and vegetable intake.
You may also increase your omega-3 levels by taking a daily krill oil supllement. You may owe it to yourself to increase omega-3 fatty acid levels.
You may possibly live a leaner and fuller life throughout your golden years.
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