EPA and DHA review reports less soreness and lower exercise-related markers
A meta-analysis reported lower muscle soreness and several inflammation or muscle injury markers, but the abstract leaves key details about comparisons and recovery outcomes unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pooled analysis reported reductions in delayed muscle soreness and several inflammation and muscle injury markers after exercise with EPA and DHA supplementation. C-reactive protein results were more variable. These findings concern soreness and biological markers; the abstract does not present direct performance results establishing better long-term athletic performance or faster functional recovery.
The abstract does not identify the control conditions or provide endpoint-specific estimates with confidence intervals. It also omits participant totals, trial quality assessments, and the full range of supplementation durations.
Different kinds of outcomes
The review grouped soreness with markers of inflammation and muscle injury. These measurements address different questions, so a reduction in a biological marker should not be treated as proof of improved athletic performance.
Reading subgroup claims cautiously
The authors report stronger effects in selected dose and duration subgroups and among recreational athletes. The abstract does not show whether dose or duration differences were tested in direct randomized comparisons, so it cannot establish an optimal regimen.
The original publication
Effects of Omega-3 Supplementation on Inflammation and Recovery in Sports: A Meta-Analysis.
Li Z, Zhang B
FASEB J · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41891174
- Record checked
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