Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)
Marine fatty acids. Label totals and actual EPA/DHA content frequently differ.
Supplements
Research records
Historical source snapshot. Not freshly verified, not a recommendation. Study findings, community accounts and app defaults are not interchangeable.
Publication suitability · 2026-10-15: Historical reference only; not a clinical verification. Clinical, regulatory, efficacy, safety and dose claims are not independently established by this review.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)
Marine fatty acids. Label totals and actual EPA/DHA content frequently differ.
Evidence category: Systematic review. This describes the source category, not approval or certainty.
Regulatory statement in source: Not separately recorded; do not infer approval from the evidence category.
A meta-analysis of 38 randomised trials with 149,051 participants found omega-3 supplements lowered cardiovascular death (RR 0.93), non-fatal heart attack, coronary heart disease events and revascularisation. Reductions were larger with EPA alone than with EPA plus DHA, but EPA alone also raised bleeding and atrial fibrillation, and omega-3 overall raised atrial fibrillation. A separate meta-analysis of 26 trials with 2,160 participants found a small overall benefit for depression symptoms, mainly with EPA-predominant formulas. Evidence is large pooled trial data.
Benefits reported in the imported source
- Pooled data from 38 trials and 149,051 people found lower cardiovascular death and heart attack.
- Coronary heart disease events and revascularisation also fell.
- Pooled trials found a modest gain for depression symptoms, mainly with EPA-predominant formulas.
Risks and limits
- Omega-3 raised atrial fibrillation, and EPA alone also raised bleeding.
- DHA-pure and DHA-major formulations showed no benefit for depression.
Source bottom line: Large pooled trials show omega-3 lowers heart events and helps depression modestly, while raising atrial fibrillation.
Uncertainty: Reference information only. Not medical advice.
Study protocols — reports, not instructions
149,051 patients across 38 randomised trials
- Reported regimen
- omega-3 of 0.4 to 5.5 g daily across the trials; EPA alone 1.8 to 4.0 g daily, EPA plus DHA 0.4 to 5.5 g daily
- Duration
- median follow-up 2.0 years (IQR 1-4.2)
- Reported outcome
- Cardiovascular death fell (RR 0.93), as did non-fatal myocardial infarction, while atrial fibrillation rose (RR 1.26) and EPA alone raised bleeding (RR 1.49).
- Source
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Claim provenance
evidence.json#/catalog:supplement:omega-3/protocols/0
2,160 participants across 26 double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials of depression
- Reported regimen
- omega-3 PUFA supplements; benefit seen with EPA-pure or EPA-major (60% or more EPA) formulas at an EPA dose of 1 g a day or less
- Duration
- not stated
- Reported outcome
- Depression symptoms improved modestly overall (SMD -0.28); DHA-pure and DHA-major formulations showed no such benefit.
- Source
- Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: a meta-analysis (Liao et al. 2019)
Claim provenance
evidence.json#/catalog:supplement:omega-3/protocols/1
Community and practice descriptions
Accounts of a practice are not evidence of safety or effectiveness. Words such as “standard”, “safe” or “recommended” describe the source account, not verified consensus or this wiki’s advice. Commercial and self-published citations are retained for traceability, not vendor endorsement or independent clinical corroboration.
Unverified imported account — Omega-3 Fats - The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
An imported authored paraphrase, not a quotation or a recommended protocol.
Review: unverified historical account. The imported wording is preserved for attribution; its full clinical, dosing, efficacy or consensus claims have not been independently established. Unvalidated source account; no validated human dosing population or animal-to-human equivalence is inferred.
Imported wording: The Harvard Nutrition Source describes algal oil as a vegan alternative to fish oil for omega-3 supplementation.
Omega-3 Fats - The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Historical research outcome: verified-description · 2026-10-06
An attributed practice description was verified without importing the source's benefit claims, recommendations or assumptions about prevalence.
- https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/omega-3-fats/: verified-description — Independently read the live source and checked this limited, attributed description: The Harvard Nutrition Source describes algal oil as a vegan alternative to fish oil for omega-3 supplementation.
Pharmacokinetic context
Historical half-life estimate: 48 hours. EPA/DHA plasma; tissue incorporation is slower Population/route context and estimates may differ. This is not a schedule or a verified human dosing rule.
Source references
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: a meta-analysis (Liao et al. 2019)
- NIH ODS: Omega-3 (availability check 2026-10-15: source not retrieved; HTTP 403)
Snapshot provenance
Source ID: catalog:supplement:omega-3. Commit: adc7684614f9439b41d91a3312b62e7982c7e20e. Review state: historical-not-reverified. Authored links are retained separately from the canonical evidence links in the public data. App templates/defaults and rejected drafts are archived, not deployed.
Related entries and components
None listed.