Fat Building Muscle

I know what you are thinking, I have finally lost it. There is no way there is any truth to the heading of this post. Can Fat really build muscle? Traditional thinking would tell us to increase protein if you are trying to build muscle mass. While protein is absolutely necessary to help build muscle mass, it is not the only nutrient we need.

A brand new study coming out in the next issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is showing promise with Essential Fatty Acids and protein synthesis. Essential Fatty Acids, such as Omega 3's, have been shown to be very helpful improving brain function, nerve tissue development, mood regulation, metabolism, and hormone production. This study however wanted to see the effects of Omega 3's on protein synthesis in older adults.

The researches compared Omega 3 with Corn Oil supplementation. They found that after 8 weeks of supplementation Omega 3 fatty acids stimulated muscle protein synthesis and may be useful for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging. This usually leads to weakness, fatigue, increase falls, and increase risk of bone fractures.

EFA's are essential for building anabolic hormones such as testosterone which build muscle mass. It seems that supplementation may help increase muscle synthesis or at least help in the prevention of muscle loss.

So yes it is true. Fat can actually build more muscle. But I hesitate to say this. Remember this study used EFA's, not saturated fat, which is found in most food in a Western Diet. Stick to foods high in EFA's such as salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts, sardines, and halibut. You can also take a EFA supplement if you are not a fan of fish.

Start getting some fat in your diet and build more muscle. And yes even if you are trying to lose weight building more muscle is a good thing, so don't avoid EFA's if you are trying to lose fat. You need it to function properly. Get rid of the other fat in your diet.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator