Omega 3 Dosage - How Much Fish Oil Should I Take a Day?

• Fish oil and omega 3 dosage is a really common question we get here at intelligent labs. In virtually all cases you’re probably not taking enough

• Official recommendations are for around 500mg of EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids a day, however this amount of omega 3 will not bring you all of the great health benefits available from fish oil

• Most of the benefits need a lot more, infact we recommend a 3 capsule serving of our omega 3, which provides 2250mg of omega 3 per day

• So let’s look at the scientific evidence to find out just how much omega 3 the research suggests is necessary to get these great health benefits

Reducing Pain and Inflammation

• Research has shown that people should be taking around 2.7 grams of omega 3 per day to really reduce pain and inflammation from conditions like arthritis, processed foods and stress

Cardiovascular Benefits, Triglycerides and Cholesterol

• Research has shown a dose of 2 -4 grams of omega 3 a day will reduce blood levels of Triglycerides by 25-30%

• It has also shown that a dose of 2.4 to 4 grams a day is needed to significantly increase HDL (the good cholesterol)

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• A 1997 study showed a dose of 2.6 grams per day could significantly reduce blood cell aggregation (blood clotting) which is a risk factor for thrombosis

• A review of all the studies on omega 3 and blood pressure found a dose of 3 grams of omega 3 a day was necessary to significantly reduce blood pressure

• 4 grams of omega 3 a day will also reduce resting heart by 2 beats per minute

• Research has shown that at least 1 gram a day of omega 3 is needed to reduce heart attack risk in patients who have previously suffered a heart attack, whilst lower doses of 200mg to 400mg provide no reduction in risk

• Unfortunately there are no long term studies on higher doses of omega 3 and heart attack risk, we eagerly await them

Cognitive Benefits

• A dose of 1 gram of DHA (not EPA) will increase cerebral brain flow

• A dose of 1.16 grams of DHA (not EPA) has been shown to improve working memory and increase memory reaction time

• DHA supplementation can also significantly affect cognitive decline and early stage dementia

• The following diagram shows the effectiveness of studies into omega 3 and cognitive decline and the dose of DHA that was used

Exercise and Sports Performance Benefits

• A dose of 1.8 grams of omega 3 was needed to significantly improve the symptoms of DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

• A dose of 3.86 grams of omega 3 a day promotes muscle growth by switching on the body’s muscle building pathway mTOR. It also improves insulin signalling allowing more nutrients to enter the muscles from the blood stream

• A dose of 2.4 grams a day was also shown to increase blood flow to the muscles during exercise in trained cyclists

Pregnancy

• A 2003 study showed that children of mothers who supplemented with 2.5 grams a day of omega 3 whilst pregnant scored higher on IQ tests at 4 years of age.

Depression and Mental Health

• Doses of omega 3 from 1g to 6.6 grams a day have been shown to improve the symptoms of depression. Omega 3 with anti depressants have also been shown to work better than anti depressants alone

• However, to be effective against depression omega 3 supplements should be a minimum of 60% EPA (i.e 40% DHA max)

Eye Health

• A 2014 study showed that a 5 gram a day serving of omega 3 could actually improve the eyesight of people suffering from macular degeneration. So far no treatments for macular degeneration have been able to improve eyesight, only slow the diseases progress

• A daily dose of 1 gram of omega 3 a day can significantly improve the symptoms of Dry Eye

• For more detailed information including citations of the studies mentioned, please check out our blog

• Or to purchase the highest quality omega 3 fish oil available just go here