Does fancy fish oil make you stronger?
Effects of eight weeks of eicosapentaenoic acid and medium-chain triacylglycerol structured lipid intake on EPA/AA ratio and muscle performance in young men
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists gave two kinds of fish oil to young men for 8 weeks: one where the good fats were chemically glued to other fats (STG), and one where they were just mixed (PM). They checked if either made them stronger or less tired during leg exercises.
Surprising Findings
STG improved EPA/AA ratio significantly, but had zero measurable effect on muscle endurance or fatigue.
Previous studies suggested EPA/DHA could reduce muscle soreness and improve endurance—this study directly contradicts that by showing no benefit despite better absorption.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re taking fish oil for muscle recovery or endurance, stick with affordable regular fish oil—this study shows no added benefit from expensive STG formulations.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists gave two kinds of fish oil to young men for 8 weeks: one where the good fats were chemically glued to other fats (STG), and one where they were just mixed (PM). They checked if either made them stronger or less tired during leg exercises.
Surprising Findings
STG improved EPA/AA ratio significantly, but had zero measurable effect on muscle endurance or fatigue.
Previous studies suggested EPA/DHA could reduce muscle soreness and improve endurance—this study directly contradicts that by showing no benefit despite better absorption.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re taking fish oil for muscle recovery or endurance, stick with affordable regular fish oil—this study shows no added benefit from expensive STG formulations.
Publication
Journal
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Year
2026
Authors
Takashi Shimizu, Y. Tsuchiya, Hisashi Ueda, Kaori Yokoi, Kenichi Yanagimoto, E. Ochi
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking fish oil supplements containing EPA and DHA may lead to very small or negligible gains in muscle size and strength for most people, and these changes are not large enough to be meaningful in a clinical or practical sense.
Taking EPA and DHA supplements in structured triglyceride or mixed forms for eight weeks does not make healthy young men stronger or less fatigued during weight training, even though their blood levels of EPA relative to AA increase.
In healthy young men, higher levels of EPA in the blood or a higher EPA-to-AA ratio do not show a measurable link to better muscular endurance or less muscle fatigue during resistance training.
When healthy young men take a specific form of omega-3 fatty acids bound to medium-chain triglycerides for eight weeks, their blood shows a higher ratio of EPA to arachidonic acid than when they take the same fatty acids in a simple mixed form.
In healthy young men, taking EPA in a structured triglyceride form may result in a slightly higher level of EPA in the blood compared to a simple mixture of the same components, but the difference was not large enough to be considered statistically certain.