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Fatty acid

Fish Oil

Fish oil is oil from fatty fish that supplies the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. These fats come from marine algae and build up in fish through the food chain.

Also listed as Fish Oil Concentrate

LongevityCardiovascularBone & JointImmune SupportEssential Health

How much EPA and DHA does fish provide?

The NIH food table lists these amounts per 3-ounce cooked or drained serving, approximately 85 g. Species and preparation matter, so these examples are not fixed values for every piece of fish. 1

Farmed Atlantic salmon, cooked

1.24 g DHA and 0.59 g EPA per serving. 1

Atlantic herring, cooked

0.94 g DHA and 0.77 g EPA per serving. 1

Sardines in tomato sauce, canned and drained

0.74 g DHA and 0.45 g EPA per serving. 1

Atlantic mackerel, cooked

0.59 g DHA and 0.43 g EPA per serving. 1

A dietary reference is different from a treatment dose

The NIH summary of EFSA guidance gives 250 mg EPA plus DHA daily as the adult reference, with an additional 100 to 200 mg DHA during pregnancy. These are dietary intake values, not instructions to reproduce the gram-level doses in cardiovascular trials. 1

The German BfR points to fish once or twice weekly and notes that this does not reach the omega-3 amounts associated with the reported heart-rhythm risk. It does not consider fish-oil concentrates necessary for healthy people who regularly eat fish. 2

Sources

  1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2025