Have you heard recent news about fish oil possibly being bad for building muscle? If you have, what do you think about that? Do you agree? But what is the logic behind this anyway? Why would fish oil be bad for building muscles? Here is the short story:

It is known that aspirin, NSAIDS and COX-2 inhibitors can reduce muscle hypertrophy and fish oils and olive oil work on the same pathways as these drugs. In a way, inflammation is much like resistance exercise; too little (no growth) or too much (overtraining) can impede muscle hypertrophy.

There needs to be a delicate balance of inflammation, as control of the inflammatory response is a critical component of efficient muscle regeneration. A balance must therefore be struck between excessive and insufficient inflammatory action.

The bottom line: The concern is that too much fish and fish oils with olive oil may limit muscle hypertrophy, although it is certainly good for the heart and maybe even for fat loss. If size is the name of the game, then you may want to try limiting fish and fish oils and boosting red meat content.

Something else to keep in mind It should be mentioned that a new study by The National Institutes of approximately 500,000 people aged 50-71 at baseline found that those who ate more red meat had elevated colon, liver and lung cancer. However, this study has come under heavy criticism because it did not account for a number of other dietary factors.

It must be stated that there are no research studies that have actually proven that fish oils reduce muscle hypertrophy. [source: FitnessRX]