![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Objective: Poor omega-3 fatty acid status has been linked to anxiety in the general population, but scarce data are available describing omega-3 fatty acid levels in athletes and their associations with anxiety and mental toughness.
Methods: Whole blood samples were obtained from 54 female collegiate athletes and analyzed for fatty acids as a part of this cross-sectional observational study. Participants also completed a food frequency questionnaire on the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS)-2, and Mental Toughness Scale (MTS). Measures were collected during the athletes' off-season. Spearman's rho coefficients were used to examine the associations between fatty acid levels and psychological scores.
Results: Blood levels of the HS-Omega-3 Index® (rho = −0.32, p = 0.02), eicosapentaenoic acid (rho = −0.40, p = 0.003), and docosapentaenoic acid (rho = −0.33, p = 0.02) were negatively correlated with BAI scores. Likewise, dietary intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (rho = −0.38, p = 0.007) and docosahexaenoic acid (rho = −0.35, p = 0.02) were negatively correlated with BAI scores. Blood docosapentaenoic acid was positively correlated with MTS (rho = 0.27, p = 0.049). None of the dietary or blood fatty acids were significantly correlated with SAS-2 scores.
Conclusions: Both blood and dietary omega-3 fatty acid levels are associated with general but not sport-specific anxiety in female collegiate athletes during an off-season period. Randomized trials should be conducted to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on anxiety and mental toughness in athletes.
Acknowledgements
The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. This work was supported through internal funding from the Nebraska Athletics Department. No external grants were used to support this project.
Disclosure
Data from this manuscript were previously presented at the 2016 ACSM Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. No external funding was used to conduct this study.