--- title: Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You description: A large review of studies on omega-3 fats finds benefits for the heart, but the data isn't conclusive yet canonical: https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-03T15:00:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:47.557Z article:section: Health og:title: Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You og:description: A large review of studies on omega-3 fats finds benefits for the heart, but the data isn't conclusive yet og:url: https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e37eb9489b8558b/6988b445ab6d777e436ac5d7/omega-3-fats.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5009 og:image:height: 2818 og:image:alt: omega 3 fats og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You twitter:description: A large review of studies on omega-3 fats finds benefits for the heart, but the data isn't conclusive yet twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e37eb9489b8558b/6988b445ab6d777e436ac5d7/omega-3-fats.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Should I Eat Salmon? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Salmon?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OIB4mfT2.m3u8) (1:55)  _Published 2015-08-26. This food from the sea is a no-brainer for all five of our experts._  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 3, 2017 3:00 PM UTC  Getty Images  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 3, 2017 3:00 PM UTC Doctors and health officials have long urged the public to eat more fish, since the healthy fats in fish—primarily from the [omega-3](http://time.com/4396909/omega-3s-heart-health-fish-oil/?iid=sr-link1) family—tend to [lower risk of heart attacks](http://time.com/4430780/fish-oil-benefits-heart-attack/?iid=sr-link8) and other heart problems. In fact, the most recent [dietary guidelines](http://time.com/4142859/2015-us-dietary-guidelines/?iid=sr-link1) recommend that Americans eat more fatty fish per week. (About half of Americans don’t eat any fish at all, or consume it only occasionally.) But lately, there’s been confusion over whether the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids from food or [supplements](http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/12/omega-3-supplements-dont-lower-heart-disease-risk-after-all/?iid=sr-link4) actually lead to healthier hearts and fewer cases of heart disease. For example, some [studies](http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2530286) suggest that fish oil supplements, which contain the active ingredients eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), may not lower risk of having a heart attack, but may lead to fewer fatal ones. In a [study](http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196%2816%2930681-4/fulltext) published in the _Mayo Clinic Proceedings_, researchers reviewing 34 studies on EPA and DHA from food and supplements, as well as heart disease risk, found evidence of the benefits of omega-3 fats in reducing heart problems. There is a caveat, however: the study was funded by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), a group of makers and marketers of fish oil products. According to the study authors, GOED did not play a role in the design or interpretation of the study results. The analysis included gold-standard clinical trials—in which people were randomly assigned to take omega-3s or not, then followed for their heart disease outcomes—as well as population-based studies, which looked for trends among people eating or taking omega-3s and those who did not over longer periods of time. Overall, those consuming more fish oil in the population studies lowered their risk by 18%. Among the people participating in the clinical trials, those at higher risk of developing heart disease seemed to benefit more from the fish oil. In people with high triglyceride levels, coronary heart disease risk dropped 16%, and 14% in people with high LDL cholesterol. While the results suggest that EPA and DHA may help to lower heart disease risk, experts point out that population studies may be biased toward finding benefit, since people who take omega-3 fatty acids may also engage in healthier behaviors like exercising regularly, avoiding smoking and eating healthy diets while avoiding high sodium foods. Ongoing clinical trials looking at the effect of omega-3 supplements on heart disease risk—and taking into account the potential effects of things like exercise and diet—may provide a more definitive answer on whether fish oil pills are really worth the money. Until then, heart experts say it’s best to stick with the natural sources by eating at least two servings of salmon, tuna or other fatty fish a week. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/"},"headline":"Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You","datePublished":"2017-01-03T15:00:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:47.557Z","description":"A large review of studies finds benefits for the heart, but the data isn't conclusive yet","url":"https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/","keywords":["Heart Disease","heart attack","omega-3","Diet & Nutrition"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e37eb9489b8558b/6988b445ab6d777e436ac5d7/omega-3-fats.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e37eb9489b8558b/6988b445ab6d777e436ac5d7/omega-3-fats.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"omega 3 fats","caption":"omega 3 fats","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/heart-disease/","name":"Heart Disease"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/","name":"Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Eat Salmon?","description":"This food from the sea is a no-brainer for all five of our experts.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OIB4mfT2/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-26T22:00:15.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OIB4mfT2.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/","duration":"PT1M55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```