Nerdy Science Blog

Want to run faster?

Scientists from Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Austria, hold key to maximum running speed through diet, instead of improved training techniques or through technological assistance.

The team found in previous study that mammal species with maximum running speed have high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in their skeletal muscles.  The team separated mice into two groups.  One fed with sunflower oil (contained high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids), and the other group fed with diet rich in linseed oil (contained high n3 fatty acids) for two weeks.  Results showed that mice fed with sunflower oil ran 0.19 m/s faster than the other group.  This improvement equals to 100 world records improvement more than 75 years.  Mammals cannot synthesize their own polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The findings will be presented on 29th June 2009 at Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting by Dr Christopher Turbill.

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