Research

Mixed

Dietary phospholipids (PLs) containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) provide superior anti-inflammatory benefits and more efficient tissue incorporation compared to omega-3 PUFAs in triglyceride (TAG) form.

If you are taking fish oil for inflammation, consider switching to a phospholipid-based source (like krill oil or specific marine phospholipid extracts). The paper suggests these deliver omega-3s more efficiently to your tissues and may work at lower doses than standard triglyceride fish oils, potentially offering better anti-inflammatory results with fewer side effects.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
within the last decade there is evidence that when ω-3 PUFAs (such as EPA and DHA) are combined to PLs, they are more efficiently incorporated into tissue membranes and at much lower doses than when these PUFAs are combined to TAGs. These PLs containing ω-3 PUFAs seem to provide beneficial effects towards inflammation related disorders through specific mechanisms and a plethora of bioactivities including their ability to modulate the eicosanoid pathway
Ronan Lordan et al. · Molecules · 2017

Why this rating

The paper is a review citing multiple in vitro and animal studies, but notes controversy in human meta-analyses for TAGs, suggesting PLs are a refinement of existing knowledge.

Source

Phospholipids of Animal and Marine Origin: Structure, Function, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Ronan Lordan et al. · Molecules · 2017

DOI 10.3390/molecules22111964

narrative_reviewCited 277×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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