The importance of EPA and DHA for athletes

Often, when an athlete visits a nutrition professional's office, they come with a well-established set of knowledge and beliefs about the nutrients they should consume during the day. And often, they consume these nutrients (and other substances) not only through food but also in the form of dietary supplements. 

This is confirmed by statistics reported in scientific literature, which show that as many as 85% of elite athletes take at least one ergogenic supplement. “Athletes often use dietary supplements to increase their metabolic capacity, delay the onset of fatigue, improve muscle hypertrophy, and shorten recovery time,” explain Maria Alessandra Gammone and colleagues in the pages of Nutrients.

Surveys on the sports dietary supplement market confirm interest in these products among Italian athletes as well. According to research published by Businesscoot, in 2018 alone, as many as 32 million people in Italy used supplements for sports. 

Nevertheless, there are still cases where even athletes’ dietary habits need at least partial correction. “A significant portion of the populations studied do not meet the dietary targets [set] for macro- and micronutrients,” highlight, again in Nutrients, Frank Thielecke and Andrew Blannin, specifying that among the macronutrients consumed in suboptimal amounts by athletes are also the marine-derived Omega 3s EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

Yet EPA and DHA have been scrutinized in numerous studies that have highlighted their properties and benefits for those who practice sports. Their potential areas of application are at least three:

1. improvement of performance;
2. improvement of post-exercise recovery;
3. reduction of injury and disease risk.

In theory, to meet adult EPA and DHA needs as identified by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition (SINU), a balanced diet that includes adequate amounts of fatty fish such as anchovies, sardines, and salmon would suffice. In practice, however, one must consider individual athletes’ needs (such as allergies or exclusion of fish from the diet for ethical reasons) and the fact that research like that cited suggests that to achieve the above benefits, it is necessary to take doses of EPA and DHA much higher than those recommended by SINU for the general population.

Hence, EPA and DHA supplements, included in a diet that is as varied and balanced as possible, become essential allies for athletes who want to protect their health while improving their performance and recovery capacity after training or competition.

EPA and DHA for athletes: nutrients against inflammation

The main reason EPA and DHA can have so many beneficial effects on athletes is their profoundly anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nature. These are, in fact, polyunsaturated fats from the Omega 3 series – more precisely, their biologically active forms – and it has long been known that Omega 3s are fats capable of keeping inflammation and oxidative stress under control.

Years of research have accumulated numerous proofs of Omega 3s' ability to modulate white blood cell activity, inhibiting chemotaxis, endothelial interactions, adhesion molecule expression, and the production of cytokines, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes with pro-inflammatory properties.

Moreover, in addition to being precursors of eicosanoids with less inflammatory potential than those produced from another class of polyunsaturated fats, Omega 6s (abundant in modern Western diets), Omega 3s are the starting material for molecules that can actively resolve ongoing inflammatory processes (resolvins, protectins, and maresins).

Omega 3s consumed through food are incorporated into cell membranes, modulating their fluidity and organization; their action also occurs through the regulation of well-known proinflammatory factors (such as NF-kB, which they inhibit) and anti-inflammatory factors (such as PPAR-γ, which they activate).

Inflammation and oxidative stress in sports

All this is potentially very useful for athletes who, whenever they engage in physical activity, experience a physiological increase in inflammation and oxidative stress along with alterations in their immune defenses.

Oxidative stress is promoted by the increased flow of oxygen in active muscles, leading to the production of free radicals. Evidence suggesting the importance of controlling this phenomenon shows that reducing the generation of reactive oxygen species can improve athletes’ immune defenses and performance.

Nor should inflammation be left unchecked. While it is beneficial when it remains a temporary, localized phenomenon as part of the response to exercise, chronic inflammation is harmful.

EPA and DHA for athletes: comprehensive benefits

Thanks to their effects on the immune system, inflammation, and oxidative stress, Omega 3s promote better post-exercise recovery. In particular, EPA and DHA have been associated with reductions in inflammation markers (such as TNF-α), muscle damage markers (like myoglobin and creatine kinase), and muscle soreness.

But that’s not all: experiments published in scientific literature also suggest that EPA and DHA can promote muscle protein synthesis and increases in lean mass and strength, with effects on neuromuscular activity likely due to alterations in membrane composition and fluidity.

In muscles, DHA has also been associated with increased lipid oxidation, insulin sensitivity, and glycolytic capacity. More generally, Omega 3s reduce lipid accumulation in type I muscle fibers and improve metabolic flexibility.

Furthermore, Omega 3s have been associated with:

- better cardiorespiratory fitness, with increased VO2 max and endothelial function, reduced oxygen consumption, lower diastolic pressure, and other cardiorespiratory parameters, and antiarrhythmic effects;

- reduced frequency and duration of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, more frequent among endurance athletes;

- positive effects against arthritis, such as reduced incidence, severity, pain, stiffness, and use of analgesics;

- reduction of head trauma markers;

- improvement in emotional stability, often challenged in competitive athletes.

Finally, the anti-inflammatory properties of EPA and DHA may be helpful against exercise-induced bronchospasm.

How much EPA and DHA for athletes?

As mentioned, athletes seeking the benefits suggested by Omega 3 research must take much higher amounts of EPA and DHA than the 250 mg total per day recommended by SINU for the adult population.

Effects on muscle soreness have been observed in studies involving daily intakes ranging from 540 mg to over 4 grams of EPA and DHA for periods between 7 and 70 days; to observe reductions in oxidation and inflammation markers after eccentric exercise-induced damage, 1.8 to 3 g per day of EPA and DHA are needed for 4–8 weeks.

Therefore, gram-level intake appears essential. In their aforementioned Nutrients publication, Thielecke and Blannin concluded that to achieve performance and recovery improvements, dosages between 1.5 and 2 grams per day are needed, emphasizing that competitive athletes require even higher doses.

As for timing, it’s important to remember that Omega 3s take at least 2 weeks to be incorporated into membranes and alter their composition – an important consideration before periods of intense training or scheduled competitions. According to Thielecke and Blannin, supplementation should continue for at least 6–8 weeks to improve performance and recovery, with longer intake needed for professionals than amateurs.

Long-term supplementation reduces inflammation and muscle soreness, also improving muscle function; in athletes with poor adherence to such regimens, acute supplementation at very high dosages (1 g of high-EPA fish oil per 10 kg of body weight) may still offer benefits in terms of muscle performance and strength recovery, though without clear anti-inflammatory effects.

For the other benefits, currently available data suggest it is always appropriate to consider daily intake in the gram range.

Which supplement to recommend?

Given the high dosages and long duration of intake, the most suitable products for athletes are those with a high profile of freshness and purity (ensuring safety), and with a sufficiently high concentration to reach the necessary dosages with as few capsules as possible per day.

We suggest Omegor® Vitality 1000: discover its features by visiting our shop!

References: 

Businesscoot. The Sports Nutrition Supplements Market – Italy (2023). Updated: 11/10/2023. Last accessed: 12/03/25

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Heileson JL, Anzalone AJ, Carbuhn AF, Askow AT, Stone JD, Turner SM, Hillyer LM, Ma DWL, Luedke JA, Jagim AR, Oliver JM. The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on a biomarker of head trauma in NCAA football athletes: a multi-site, non-randomized study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Sep 27;18(1):65. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00461-1

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