Fish Oil (EPA/DHA)
Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that integrate into cell membrane phospholipids, altering membrane fluidity and lipid raft signaling. EPA competes with arachidonic acid for COX and LOX enzymes, shifting eicosanoid production from pro-inflammatory prostaglandins toward anti-inflammatory resolvins and protectins. DHA is the primary structural omega-3 in neuronal membranes. Both activate PPARs and suppress NF-kB-mediated inflammatory gene transcription.
Three tiers ordered by aggressiveness. Tier chips on every OPTIMIZE intervention let you filter the catalog by your evidence tolerance.
- triglycerides
- lipid-panel
- hs-crp
- fish-allergy
- bleeding-disorder-severe
- anticoagulant-high-dose
- PMID:30415628Cardiovascular Risk Reduction with Icosapent Ethyl for Hypertriglyceridemia (REDUCE-IT) — N Engl J Med, 2019
- PMID:29588166Marine omega-3 supplementation and cardiovascular disease: an updated meta-analysis — Eur Heart J, 2018
Fish oil is the anti-inflammatory foundation. The REDUCE-IT trial settled the cardiovascular debate — 4g of icosapent ethyl (pure EPA) reduced cardiovascular events by 25% in statin-treated patients with elevated triglycerides. The form matters. Triglyceride-form fish oil absorbs 2-3x better than ethyl ester form. You need 2-4g of combined EPA+DHA, not 2-4g of total fish oil. Read the label. The anti-inflammatory mechanism is direct substrate competition — more EPA in membranes means less arachidonic acid available for inflammatory eicosanoid production.
This is not medical advice
Discuss with a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any compound. This page documents what the research literature describes — it is not a prescription.
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