The Claim

In adults with abdominal obesity and low-grade systemic inflammation, daily supplementation with 2.7 grams of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for 10 weeks causes a significantly greater reduction in interleukin-18 and a significantly greater increase in adiponectin compared to daily supplementation with an equivalent dose of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Source: A randomized, crossover, head-to-head comparison of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation to reduce inflammation markers in men and women: the Comparing EPA to DHA (ComparED) Study.

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
84score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In adults with abdominal obesity and low-grade inflammation, taking 2.7 grams of DHA daily for 10 weeks lowers interleukin-18 more and raises adiponectin more than taking the same amount of EPA.

See the scientific wording

In adults with abdominal obesity and low-grade systemic inflammation, 10 weeks of daily supplementation with 2.7 grams of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) causes a significantly greater reduction in interleukin-18 (IL-18) and a significantly greater increase in adiponectin compared to an equivalent dose of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), suggesting DHA has a more potent anti-inflammatory effect on these specific biomarkers in this population.

Why this might work

DHA gets absorbed into fat and immune cells, where it is turned into molecules that stop inflammation and signal fat cells to release a protective hormone. This hormone reduces harmful inflammation signals and improves how the body handles fat and sugar.

Supported mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: A randomized, crossover, head-to-head comparison of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation to reduce inflammation markers in men and women: the Comparing EPA to DHA (ComparED) Study.

    In people with belly fat and mild inflammation, taking DHA for 10 weeks lowered a key inflammation marker and raised a protective hormone more than taking the same amount of EPA. So yes, DHA worked better for these specific effects.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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