Does fish oil ease anxiety?
Improved a littleLimited evidenceRe-checked 8 November 2026
One trial found a modest effect. Medical students who took omega-3 fish oil for 12 weeks reported 20% fewer anxiety symptoms than those on placebo.
What the studies found
“Compared to controls, those students who received n-3 showed a 14% decrease in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated interleukin 6 (IL-6) production and a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms, without significant change in depressive symptoms.”
The details
- What the trials used
- 2.5 g of omega-3 a day (2,085 mg EPA and 348 mg DHA) for 12 weeks. These are the doses studied, not advice on what to take.
- Who was studied
- Healthy medical students with no anxiety disorder.
- Worth knowing
- The students had no anxiety disorder, so this trial says nothing about treating one. If anxiety is getting in the way of your life, talk to a doctor.
Before you try it
If you take any medicine or have a health condition, ask a pharmacist or doctor before adding a supplement. This page doesn’t link to any product.
How we checked this
This answer comes from one finding on our site, and that finding has been re-checked: each linked study was confirmed on PubMed and read against the finding’s grade, direction and study count. We then read every abstract ourselves on 7 November 2026 and wrote the answer from them, then checked it against recent reviews; the quotes above are copied word for word. If the finding changes, this answer is hidden until it is checked again. How we grade.