Andrew Huberman on Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA)
28 episodes · 53 references · 2021–2025
- Huberman considers omega-3s (EPA) a cornerstone supplement, taking 1-2g EPA daily for mood, focus, and cardiovascular health - Cites clinical evidence that 1,000mg+ EPA daily rivals SSRIs for depression, supports attention (300mg+ DHA), and reduces inflammation - Cautions about mercury contamination in fish oil and notes high doses (4g/day) can worsen mania in bipolar disorder
Consumption
- Takes 1,000-3,000mg EPA daily via liquid fish oil, often a tablespoon in a protein shake - Uses fish oil from AG1 or Momentous as his personal choice - Frames it as a daily general mood enhancer and focus support, not just therapeutic
Benefits
- 1,000mg+ EPA daily matches SSRIs for reducing depressive symptoms; 1,000mg EPA equaled 20mg fluoxetine over 8 weeks - Supports attention and focus (300mg+ DHA threshold), reduces impulsivity and aggression in ADHD contexts - Omega-3s stimulate CCK release to blunt appetite, reduce inflammation, and support cardiovascular and immune health
Best Practices
- Target 1-2g EPA per day minimum; up to 3g for cognitive and antidepressant benefits - Look at EPA content specifically on the label — total fish oil amount is not the relevant number - Prefers liquid form fish oil over capsules; 300mg+ DHA daily is the threshold for attentional effects
Cautions
- High-dose fish oil (4g/day) worsened mania symptoms over 16 weeks in bipolar disorder studies - Mercury and contaminant risk in fish oil — choose clean sources like sardine or cod liver oil - High omega-3 intake can increase bleeding tendency; Huberman personally reacted poorly to krill oil (skin itching)
“I've made the choice to ingest at least a thousand milligrams per day of EPA. I do that in the form of fish oil and EPA-DHA combination fish oil.”
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“Some people, including myself, will take them every day as just a general mood enhancer.”
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“What are your thoughts on Omega-3s? I take a lot of them; I've always been a big fan.”
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“A couple years later I did in fact start taking a thousand milligrams per day of EPA in fish oil.”
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“I personally am a big believer in supplementing with liquid form fish oil. That's what I do.”
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“Increasing our intake of these essential fatty acids and in particular the EPA variety of omega-3s can lower the effective dose of things like SSRIs.”
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“Ingesting sufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids is going to support healthy mood and even can act as an anti-depressant. Ingesting at least 1,000 milligrams per day of the EPA form of essential fatty acid is as effective as prescription anti-depressants in relieving depression.”
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“Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids can actually be beneficial for people, in particular kids with ADHD.”
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“Replacing those foods with foods that have high levels of omega-3 or amino acids can reduce sugar cravings.”
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“There is, for instance, a study published in 1999, this is a much higher dosage supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid. This is a 9.6 grams of fish oil per day for four months and then actually greatly reduced symptoms of bipolar depression.”
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“Getting 1,000 mg or more, even as much as 2,000 milligrams each day of the EPA component of omega-3 fatty acids, is known to have mood elevating effects.”
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“A threshold level of 300 mg of DHA turns out to be an important inflection point. Getting above 300 milligrams per day of DHA is really where you start to see the attentional effects.”
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“Provided that one gets at least one gram of EPA, essential fatty acids, it can rival some prescription antidepressants and or decrease the amount of antidepressants that's required to take.”
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“Typically one would get to 1 to 2 grams of EPA by supplementing their nutrition, their diet, that is, with fish oil capsules or liquid fish oil.”
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“A comparison of 1,000 milligrams a day of EPA was equally effective in reducing depressive symptoms as Prozac.”
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“Krill oil... I personally didn't react well to krill. It didn't make me feel very good. I had some kind of skin itches and things like that.”
How Foods and Nutrients Control Our Moods
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