Research
Macro partitioning
Both EPA and DHA reduce fasting triglyceride levels, but DHA uniquely increases LDL and HDL particle size, which may offer additional cardiovascular protection.
Take EPA or DHA to lower triglycerides; both work well. However, if you want to improve your LDL particle size (making LDL less atherogenic), DHA is the better choice as EPA does not appear to have this specific benefit.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
While both EPA and DHA decrease TAG levels, only DHA appears to increase HDL and LDL particle size.
Why this rating
Strong evidence from multiple RCTs and meta-analyses showing consistent TAG reduction and specific particle size changes with DHA.
Source
The differential effects of EPA and DHA on cardiovascular risk factors
S Cottin et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2011
DOI 10.1017/s0029665111000061
narrative_reviewCited 245×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- DHA supplementation significantly reduces blood pressure and heart rate, whereas EPA supplementation does not produce these specific hemodynamic effects.Moderate
- DHA improves endothelial function and arterial compliance more effectively than EPA, potentially through mechanisms involving membrane fluidity and nitric oxide release.Moderate
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