Journal Article

Effects of Arachidonic Acid Supplementation on Acute Anabolic Signaling and Chronic Functional Performance and Body Composition Adaptations

Mobley, Christopher Brooks, Shields, Kevin A., Healy, James C., De Souza, Eduardo O., Lopez, Hector L., Joy, Jordan M., Roberts, Michael D., Wilson, Jacob M., Rauch, Jacob T., Fox, Carlton D., Sharp, Matthew H., Ormes, Jacob A., Lowery, Ryan P., Thompson, Richard M.

2016

Overview

The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of arachidonic acid (ARA) supplementation on functional performance and body composition in trained males. In addition, we performed a secondary study looking at molecular responses of ARA supplementation following an acute exercise bout in rodents. Thirty strength-trained males (age: 20.4 ± 2.1 yrs) were randomly divided into two groups: ARA or placebo (i.e. CTL). Then, both groups underwent an 8-week, 3-day per week, non-periodized training protocol. Quadriceps muscle thickness, whole-body composition scan (DEXA), muscle strength, and power were assessed at baseline and post-test. In the rodent model, male Wistar rats (~250 g, ~8 weeks old) were pre-fed with either ARA or water (CTL) for 8 days and were fed the final dose of ARA prior to being acutely strength trained via electrical stimulation on unilateral plantar flexions. A mixed muscle sample was removed from the exercised and non-exercised leg 3 hours post-exercise. Lean body mass (2.9%, p<0.0005), upper-body strength (8.7%, p<0.0001), and peak power (12.7%, p<0.0001) increased only in the ARA group. For the animal trial, GSK-β (Ser9) phosphorylation (p<0.001) independent of exercise and AMPK phosphorylation after exercise (p-AMPK less in ARA, p = 0.041) were different in ARA-fed versus CTL rats. Our findings suggest that ARA supplementation can positively augment strength-training induced adaptations in resistance-trained males. However, chronic studies at the molecular level are required to further elucidate how ARA combined with strength training affect muscle adaptation.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Acids / Adaptation / Adaptation, Physiological - drug effects / Adolescent / Adult / Analgesics / Animal Feed / Animals / Arachidonic acid / Arachidonic Acids - pharmacology / Biology and Life Sciences / Body composition / Body Composition - drug effects / Body Composition - genetics / Body mass / Cytotoxicity / Dietary Supplements / Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry / Electrical stimuli / Energy Metabolism - drug effects / Energy Metabolism - genetics / Fatty acids / Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects / Health sciences / Human performance / Humans / Insulin / Kinases / Kinesiology / Laboratories / Lean body mass / Lipids / Lymphocytes T / Male / Males / Medicine and Health Sciences / Metabolism / Model testing / Models, Animal / Muscle Development - drug effects / Muscle Development - genetics / Muscle strength / Muscle Strength - drug effects / Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena - drug effects / Musculoskeletal system / Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs / Older people / Phosphoproteins - metabolism / Phosphorylation / Physical Conditioning, Animal / Physical training / Physiological aspects / Protein Biosynthesis / Protein synthesis / Proteins / Proteomics - methods / Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism / Quadriceps muscle / Rats / Research and Analysis Methods / Resistance Training / Rodents / Signal Transduction - drug effects / Signaling / Sports training / Strength training / Supplements / TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism / Training / Unsaturated fatty acids / Weight training / Young Adult