According to a new research, the problem of ageing muscles in elderly people can be avoided by taking fish oil and doing regular exercise.

The recent research showed that women aged over 65, who received omega-3 fatty acids, doubled the rate at which exercising helped improve their muscles. A much bigger study is being conducted to find out why muscle condition improves after eating fish oil and exercising.

Experts have linked the food that is rich in omega-3 to benefits, such as a lower risk of coronary heart disease. Ageing causes muscles size to reduce by 0.5-2% per year and this causes immobility in old people.

According to Dr Stuart Gray from the University of Aberdeen, the cost of treating sarcopenia, which is the processing of aging muscle strength, said "Around one-and-a-half percent of the total US healthcare budget is spent on sarcopenia-related issues. The fish oil seemed to be having anabolic protective effects in the rats, but rats aren't humans, so the next step was to try it in humans."

Previous studies demonstrated that livestock fed on omega 3-rich diets had increased muscle bulk. Earlier researchers prompted researchers to study the impact of fish oil in helping prevent the disease.

The findings of the study were presented at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen.