Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care· 2026Q1
Should athletes take omega-3 supplements? Current evidence for recovery, adaptation and performance
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Omega-3 supplementation may offer modest reductions in muscle soreness and minor improvements in muscle function recovery after strenuous exercise, but current evidence does not reliably translate to enhanced strength, endurance, or overall athletic performance.
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Key points
- Omega-3 supplementation may slightly reduce muscle soreness and improve muscle function recovery after damaging exercise.
- Benefits do not consistently translate to improvements in strength, endurance, power, or overall sport performance.
- Evidence regarding omega-3 supplementation in female, masters, and contact-sport athletes is limited.
- Many athletes have Omega-3 Index levels below proposed thresholds, but athlete-specific targets are unvalidated.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To evaluate whether long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation provides meaningful benefits for recovery, training adaptation or performance in athletic populations, while distinguishing mechanistic plausibility from demonstrated functional effects. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data from athletic populations show that Omega-3 Index (O3I) values commonly fall below proposed cardioprotective thresholds, although athlete-specific targets remain unvalidated. Meta-analyses and controlled trials suggest that supplementation may modestly reduce muscle soreness and attenuate selected losses of muscle function following damaging exercise. However, findings are inconsistent across formulations, doses and outcomes, and benefits do not translate reliably into improved strength, endurance, power or sport performance. Evidence concerning female, masters and contact-sport athletes is limited. SUMMARY: Routine supplementation cannot at present be recommended for all athletes. Targeted supplementation may be considered following dietary and, wherever appropriate, biomarker assessment, while recognizing that benefits during unusually damaging or congested training remain unproven.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Nutrition and Dietetics
Nutrition and DieteticsNursing