INSTITUTE OF PHYSIOLOGY CAS - The effect of exercise training and omega-3 supplementation on metabolic parameters and lipidome in elderly women

In the elderly, lifestyle interventions based on the increased physical activity are primarily aimed to improve muscle function and/or cardiovascular fitness, but recent data suggest that adipose tissue may also contribute to the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolism, inflammation and overall health. Wax esters, contained in Calanus oil, is one of the new lipid forms of Omega-3, which may exert improved efficacy in terms of metabolic effects. Therefore, the aim of this project is to study in sedentary older women the effects of exercise training alone or in combination with Calanus oil supplementation.

In this project, we will characterize the effects of exercise training alone or in combination with Calanus oil on:

anthropometric parameters, physical fitness, glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity (by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp);
bioavailability of omega-3 (i.e. EPA and DHA) assessed as the Omega-3 index in RBC;
serum and adipose tissue (biopsies) lipidome, with a focus on endocannabinoids, eicosanoids, docosanoids and PAHSA lipid mediators.

This project will help to understand the importance of adipose tissue function for whole body metabolism and reveal the role of specific lipid mediators in the beneficial effects of omega-3 and/or exercise on insulin sensitivity.

Supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (16-29182A; 2016-2019, PI: Ing. Michaela Šiklová, PhD, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague; co-PI: Martin Rossmeisl, MD, PhD, Institute of Physiology, CAS).