When to take Fish Oil | PlanYourVitamins.com

What is fish oil good for?

Short answer: Fish oil has potential benefits for cardiovascular health, brain health, depression, inflammation, joint health and mental health.

Fish oil is one of the most popular supplements on the market, mainly due to it being a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.

It is extracted from oily fish such as tuna, mackerel and herring, and if this type of fish doesn't form a significant part of your diet, you could definitely benefit from taking a supplement in order to achieve optimal levels of omega-3 fatty acid intake.

Oily fish such as mackerel are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Role in cardiovascular health

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that people who consume a lot of fish have significantly lower rates of heart disease. For example, fish oil is known for its triglyceride-reducing properties, and fish oil is often prescribed as a medication for this end.

It has also been documented to reduce blood pressure, especially in people that suffer from hypertension. It also appears to help regulate cholesterol levels, and prevent the formation of dangerous plaques that cause atherosclerosis, the narrowing and hardening of the arteries.

Role in mental health

In addition to its benefits on cardiovascular health, studies have shown that people with certain mental health conditions, such as depression, are found to have lower omega-3 blood levels, and conversely, increasing omega-3 intake seems to both prevent and improve symptoms of these conditions.

Role in reducing inflammation

Another well documented benefit of fish oil is through its anti-inflammatory effects, particularly in the joints. Studies have shown that taking fish oil supplementation reduces joint pain and increases mobility in people that suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, in addition to reducing their dependency on medication.

Prolonged use of fish oil & vitamin E deficiency

One interesting thing that caught my attention is that prolonged use of fish oil supplements may cause a deficiency in vitamin E.

As a result of this, vitamin E is often added to many commercial fish oil products, however if your fish oil supplements do not include vitamin E on their ingredient list, you may want to consider checking your vitamin E levels and acquiring the appropriate supplements for countering any possible deficiency.

When should I take fish oil?

Short answer: Fish oil is best taken with a meal, at any time of day, preferably including fatty foods (fish, meat, eggs, dairy, avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds).

Although there is no particular time of day that has proven to be optimal for taking fish oil supplements, research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids are absorbed more effectively when taken with a meal that contains dietary fat, so be sure to include it whenever you have a fat-rich meal, whenever that may be.

What does fish oil combine well with?

Short answer: Fish Oil has been shown to work well together with B-complex, choline, evening primrose oil, grape seed extract, magnesium, omega-6, pumpkin seed oil, vanadium, vitamin B6, vitamin B8, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E.

Fish oil with omega-6

The counterpart to omega-3 fatty acids are omega-6 fatty acids, and while it is known that it is important to maintain the correct balance between the two, research has shown that by taking supplementation of both together was actually more effective that individual supplementation.

Evening primrose oil is a good example of a supplemental source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is a omega-6 fatty acid, and is often taken in combination with fish oil or other omega-3 fatty acid supplements to maintain an adequate ratio of fatty acid intake.

Pumpkin seed oil is another example of a rich source of omega-6 fatty acids.

Fish oil with B vitamins

Omega-3 fatty acids also combine well with B vitamins in a variety of ways. For example, researchers have found that when B vitamins were abundant prior to taking fish oil, and then fish oil was taken, participants had improved cognitive performance and increased blood flow to the brain.

Several other studies have concluded that both omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins need to be present in generous amounts for optimal brain health.

One such study involving inositol, also known as vitamin B8, was found to reduce manic, depressive, and overall psychiatric symptoms to a much greater degree when combined with omega-3 fatty acids than when either treatment was taken by itself alone.

It was also found that a combination of omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid (vitamin B9) and other B vitamins was more effective at lowering blood levels of homocysteine than taking omega-3 supplementation alone. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is a driver of cardiovascular diseases when found in elevated concentrations in the blood.

Fish oil with magnesium

Magnesium is also known to pair well with fish oil, particularly when it comes to heart health and brain health.

As mentioned above, fish oil helps lower triglyceride levels and reduce plaque buildup in the arteries, and is also conductive towards lowering blood pressure, while magnesium helps blood vessels to dilate, further contributing to a lowering of blood pressure levels.

This means that people with high blood pressure, or those with certain cardiovascular conditions, could benefit greatly from taking magnesium together with their omega-3 supplements.

A combination of fish oil and magnesium has also been shown to have benefits for mental health, especially for people that suffer from depression, stress or anxiety.

Fish oil with vitamin E

Regarding inflammation, while it is known that omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce inflammation, research shows that it becomes even more effective when paired with vitamin E, which is a fat-soluble vitamin which has notable anti-inflammatory properties.

Also, as mentioned earlier, prolonged supplementation of fish oil can cause a deficiency of vitamin E, and modern fish oil supplements will often include a small amount of vitamin E in order to counter this.

If you are taking fish oil for a long time, and your fish oil supplement does not contain vitamin E, you might want to consider incorporating vitamin E into your supplement schedule separately, or otherwise switching to a fish oil supplement that does incorporate vitamin E.

It is also worth mentioning that both fish oil and vitamin E in supplemental doses exhibit blood-thinning properties that could be undesirable in excess, so it is perhaps advisable to take this combination in moderate amounts.

Fish oil with vitamin C

Vitamin C also combines very well with fish oil, and when omega-3 fatty acids interact with vitamin C, they have been found to exhibit strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that could potentially protect against oxidative stress, and liver damage in particular.

Fish oil with vitamin D

Research has shown that a combined supplementation of vitamin D and omega-3 significantly reduces common blood markers of inflammation as well as regulating insulin levels and increasing good cholesterol levels.

Fish oil with grape seed extract

Another study was made combining omega-3 supplementation with grape seed extract, and was found to improve insulin and triglyceride levels significantly, when compared to individual supplementation.

Fish oil with vanadium

A number of studies have been performed on the combination of fish oil and the mineral vanadium, showing positive results in regards to fighting cancer.

Specifically, one animal study that combined supplementation of vanadium and fish oil was shown to suppress tumor growth, prevent cancer cell proliferation, protect DNA integrity and induce cancer cell death in mammary carcinogenesis (breast cancer) in rats.

Fish oil with choline

Choline has also been found to pair well with omega-3 fatty acids, specifically interactions between the two were found to improve brain and eye health in a synergistic manner when compared to individual supplementation.

What should I avoid taking fish oil with?

Short answer: Avoid taking fish oil supplements at the same time as garlic extract or blood thinners.

Avoid with garlic extract

Fish oil can have a slight anticoagulant effect on the blood, so it is recommended to avoid taking fish oil in combination with other supplements that have a similar effect, such as garlic extract.

Avoid with blood-thinning medication

Likewise, it is advised to avoid taking it with any medications that also serve as blood thinners or anticoagulants, as this could exacerbate the effects.

What are natural sources of fish oil?

If you are interested in achieving your daily fish oil intake through your diet, rich sources of fish oil include:

Mackerel
Herring
Tuna
Salmon
Cod
Sardines
Anchovies
Oysters
Chia seeds
Flaxseeds
Hemp seeds

To a lesser extent, omega-3s can also be found in chicken eggs that are pasture-raised and/or omega-3 enriched, as well as meat and dairy products that are sourced from grass-fed animals.

Fish Oil data sources & further reading

Last updated by Asklepios on 30th January, 2025