Biological assessment of the omega-3 status after omega-3 enriched dietary during an active seasonal performance on soccer players.

BACKGROUND: To assess the physiological change of blood fatty acid composite during the seasonal performance of soccer players with omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid balanced dietary supplementation.

METHODS: This study included 20 healthy and trained male soccer players. During the study, data collection was performed three times (pre-, mid-, post-season). Anthropometric data collection and blood sampling for the assessment of the omega index were performed. The mid- and post-seasonal data were compared with baseline data collected before the starting season (pre-seasonal data).

RESULTS: Elevated levels of omega-3, HS-omega, and trans fatty acid were observed in both the mid- and post-seasonal data. During the season, the levels of omega-6/omega-3 and saturated fatty acid decreased, whereas there were no differences in total cholesterol, cholesterol LDL, HDL, BUN/Cr, HbA1c (NGSP), and cystatin C.

CONCLUSIONS: n-3 PUFA-enriched dietary supplementation might alter blood omega-3 indices in soccer players during the season.