Research Shows That Fish Oil Can Help Women 60+ Build Muscle

Most people couple muscle growth with protein supplements. And while getting enough protein daily is absolutely vital to build strong muscle, it's not the only supplement that can be beneficial. 

Research shows that pairing strength training with fish oil1 can improve both muscle function and measures of heart health for women in their 60s—a time when maintaining muscle health is hard but needed. 

It's estimated that we lose around 3-8% of our muscle mass2 each decade after the age of 30.

And since estrogen levels are protective of muscle mass3, even greater amounts of muscle loss are seen after the menopause transition—as well as an increased risk for heart disease. 

In this study, researchers set out to see if eight weeks of omega-3-rich fish oil and a strength training program had a more profound effect on physical function, blood pressure, triglycerides, and inflammation than just strength training alone. 

To do this, 20 women (with an average age of 65) were randomly assigned to one of those two groups. Everyone underwent two supervised weight training sessions each week—targeting all major muscle groups and progressing in load each week. 

After eight weeks, physical function (for things like leg strength and walking speed) improved across the board. 

Those in the fish oil group did have a significant edge on a few of the outcomes. Their grip strength (which is an underrated measure of overall longevity4) was better, their blood pressure dropped, their triglyceride levels improved, and they had less inflammation.

The women who only participated in the strength training regimen really only saw a shift in markers of muscle health (which is still exciting!), whereas those benefits were amplified among those taking the 2,820 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA omega-3 fish oil.

It also seems like the heart health and inflammatory benefits they noticed could be primarily attributed to the fish oil.

These findings align with previous research

It's important to note that weight training has heaps of evidence supporting its role in muscle growth, body composition5, and managing chronic inflammation6. So this eight-week-long study may not have been sufficient time for the weight training program alone to nudge inflammation in a more favorable direction. 

Previous research looking at strength training's impact on heart-health markers1 like blood pressure and triglycerides has been inconsistent, so it's not surprising that those markers didn't significantly improve for that group.

If you're intimidated or don't know where to start, we have a great guide to get you started at home (that's right, you don't have to leave your living room if you don't want to). If you want a more structured program, see about reaching out to a local gym for personal training or small group practices to learn your way and build confidence in using the machines and in your own abilities. 

Next is choosing a quality fish oil supplement and deciding how much to take. There's likely no way you'll reach the amount of fish oil used in this study through the diet alone—it would require eating more than a fish a day. So yes, a fish oil supplement is needed if you're looking for these benefits. 

Here's a list of our favorite omega-3 supplements that take into consideration quality, purity, potency, and source. 

Maintaining muscle mass and heart health should be two of your top health priorities after menopause, and combining strength training and taking a high-quality fish oil are two science-backed ways to address those concerns head-on. 

This study showed that you should start to see some meaningful change in as few as two months. Now, imagine the impact of following this routine for years. A third of your life7 is spent living in postmenopause.