Inflammation, Tendon Injuries
Conditions
Keywords
Omega-3, Athletes, Sports injuries, Inflammatory markers, Isokinetic muscle force
Brief summary
The study will examine the association between omega-3 status and the effects of omega-3 supplementation on changes in tendon structure and recovery from tendon injuries and inflammatory markers in competitive athletes. Half of the participants will receive omega-3 in combination with vitamin E, while the other half will receive a placebo and vitamin E.
Detailed description
Sports injuries are common among athletes, while injury prevention received much clinical attention, there is no consensus among clinicians and researchers as to which injury-causing factors are dominant. It has been suggested that increased training load may be the leading cause of sports injuries, since tendons are sensitive to changes in load, making them vulnerable to injury. Inflammation is one of the reversible risk factors to sports injuries, and there are numerous methods which are used to treat inflammation. It has been recently suggested that inflammation reactions are affected by Omega-3 status and that omega-3 deficiency may increase the risk of sports and tendon injuries. The omega-3 fatty acid may act as a regulator of membrane structure and function, intracellular signaling pathways, transcription factor activity, and gene expression and reducing inflammation. Due to these functions, omega-3 may influence exercise-induced injuries/inflammation in athletes, thus, may influence their health and allowing training.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTOmega-3
Each omega-3 capsule contains 600 mg, including 400 mg EPA + 200 mg Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 400 IU of vitamin E for 5 omega-3 capsules. Omega-3 dosage: 1 g per 15 kg body mass
OTHERPlacebo
Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) and vitamin E
Sponsors
University of Haifa
Tel Hai College
Meir Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Part one: * Training for at least 5 hours per week. * No complaints about lower extremities pains during the last 12 months. Part two: * Training for at least 5 hours per week. * Diagnosed with patellar and Achilles tendinitis.
Exclusion criteria
* Underwent lower extremities surgeries. * Allergic to Fish products. * Athletes who use anti-inflammatory drugs and/or omega-3 supplements. * Pregnant and/or nursing mothers.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tendon Structure | 6 months | Changes in the echo pattern of patellar and Achilles tendons structure using Ultrasound Tissue Characterization (UTC). Distribution (%) of echo type 1-3. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle Strength | 6 months | Total work (Kjoule) (using Biodex isokinetic testing protocol) |
| Omega-3 status | 6 months | Distribution (%) of 26 identified fatty acids - measured in Blood |
| Cross sectional area of Achilles tendon | 6 months | measured using Ultrasound Tissue Characterization (UTC) (cm\^2) |
| Range of motion - knee | 6 months | using digital inclinometer for range of motion measurement (degrees) |
| Inflammatory marker | 3 months | Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) (pg/mL) |
| functional assessment | 3 months | VISA P questionnaire - scale 0-100 |
| Pro-inflammatory cytokine. | 3 months | Serum interleukin 17 (IL-17) (pg/mL) |
| Marker for inflammation | 3 months | C Reactive Protein (CRP) (mg/L) |
| Pain assessment | 6 months | pain severity using visual analog scale (VAS) - on a scale of 0 -10, 0 being no pain and 10 the worst pain ever |
Countries
Israel
Contacts
Primary ContactDan Nemet, MD
Backup ContactMichal Pantanowitz, PhD
Outcome results
None listed