Research

Hormonal

Increasing dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) through fish consumption or supplementation reduces the incidence and severity of chronic inflammatory diseases by shifting eicosanoid production from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory mediators.

To reduce chronic inflammation, aim for 0.5–1.8 grams of EPA/DHA daily. The easiest way is eating two servings of oily fish (like salmon or mackerel) per week. If you don't eat fish, take a standard fish oil supplement providing roughly 300-1000mg of combined EPA/DHA daily. This shifts your body's chemical messengers from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory, lowering risks for heart disease and arthritis.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
research has shown that by increasing the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids in the diet... reductions may be achieved in the incidence of many chronic diseases that involve inflammatory processes; most notably, these include cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis
Rebecca Wall et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2010

Why this rating

The paper cites multiple large randomized trials (GISSI-Prevenzione, JELIS) and consistent observational data, though it acknowledges some inconsistent results.

Source

Fatty acids from fish: the anti-inflammatory potential of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids

Rebecca Wall et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2010

DOI 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00287.x

narrative_reviewCited 1,100×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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