High-EPA omega-3 concentrate

About High-EPA omega-3 concentrate

A fish or algal oil concentrated so that EPA substantially outweighs DHA, often at ratios from 2:1 to 7:1, and sometimes as pure EPA with DHA removed entirely.

The interest in EPA-predominant preparations comes almost entirely from two places: meta-analyses of omega-3 in depression that found benefit clustered in trials where EPA made up 60% or more of the total, and REDUCE-IT, which used pure EPA ethyl ester. Neither is settled. The depression meta-analyses are working with small, heterogeneous trials and substantial publication bias, and the REDUCE-IT result may reflect dose rather than ratio. What can be said is that EPA-predominant oils do not raise LDL cholesterol as DHA-rich oils tend to, and that the triglyceride effect is a class effect of EPA+DHA that a high-EPA product delivers as well as any other.

Sold as

Softgel, Concentrated ethyl ester, Re-esterified triglyceride, Liquid

Standardised to

Ratio of EPA to DHA, and mg EPA per serving — a product without this marker may not resemble what was studied.

Also known as

EPA-rich fish oil, High-EPA concentrate, 4:1 EPA:DHA oil

Regulation: Sold as a dietary supplement in the US with no pre-market efficacy or safety review, and separately available as a prescription drug in purified form at 4 g/day. The supplement and the drug are not interchangeable in dose or in the evidence attached to them.

What the research used

The amounts, forms and durations published trials of High-EPA omega-3 concentrate actually administered.

When it was taken

Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.