Fish oil group had less soreness after muscle-damaging exercise
A small randomized trial found less soreness after muscle-damaging exercise, while strength recovery patterns and inflammation results offered a more mixed picture.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Fish oil recipients had less muscle soreness than placebo recipients at the later soreness comparison. The abstract also describes recovery of strength measures within each group, but those patterns alone do not establish a between-group advantage. The findings suggest a limited soreness benefit under this exercise protocol, with its size left unclear.
The abstract does not report the fish oil dose, supplementation schedule, or size of the soreness difference. Its small sample and short follow-up limit interpretation.
What researchers found
Muscle soreness after exercise
Fish oil versus placebo at 48 hours after the jump protocol; the abstract gives no effect size.
Recovery was tracked in several ways
Participants completed a jump protocol intended to induce muscle damage. Researchers tracked jumping performance, maximal force measurements, and inflammatory markers, allowing them to examine different aspects of recovery rather than soreness alone.
Inflammation did not show a clear advantage
The inflammatory marker TNF-α rose after exercise in both groups. A reported trend toward incomplete recovery in the placebo group was not statistically significant and does not establish that fish oil improved inflammation.
The original publication
Effects of Acute Fish Oil Supplementation on Muscle Function and Soreness After Eccentric Contraction-Induced Muscle Damage.
Lee SR, Directo D, Kang Y et al.
Nutrients · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41228481
- Record checked
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