Tools

Omega-3 from Fish or Fish Oil: Compare EPA and DHA

Medical note: This article discusses foods and researched botanicals. It does not claim to prevent, treat, or cure disease. Supplements are not a substitute for food, and studied amounts are not personal prescriptions.

A 1,000 mg fish-oil softgel is the weight of the oil, not the weight of EPA and DHA. Many common softgels land nearer 300 mg of those two fatty acids combined. A 3-ounce serving of salmon is often in the neighborhood of 1,500 mg. Putting those two numbers next to each other is the only job of this page.

Pick a fish, enter how many servings, then type the EPA plus DHA milligrams printed on one softgel and how many softgels you are comparing. The result is two totals and how many times larger one side is than the other. Salmon, mackerel, sardines, and canned light tuna are included because those are the everyday comparisons. The fish figures are round educational averages. Farmed versus wild, and whether you drain the can, move the real plate.

This is not a heart-disease prescription. People with bleeding risk, high triglycerides, or an upcoming procedure need advice that is not a calculator. The omega-3 guide linked below summarizes what the evidence does and does not support.

How the number is made

Fish rows use round educational averages for a 3-ounce cooked or canned serving: salmon about 1,500 mg EPA+DHA, mackerel about 1,000 mg, sardines about 800 mg, and canned light tuna about 200 mg. The capsule side uses the EPA+DHA number you type from the label, times the number of softgels. The result is how those two totals compare.

What this does not do

Species, farmed versus wild, and draining the can all change the fish number. A 1,000 mg fish-oil softgel is not 1,000 mg of EPA+DHA; read the EPA and DHA lines. This is not a prescription for heart disease.

Read the guide behind it

Questions people ask

Is a gram of fish oil the same as a gram of omega-3?

No. The softgel weight includes other fats. Add the EPA and DHA milligrams on the supplement facts panel. A common softgel is closer to 300 mg of EPA+DHA than to 1,000 mg.

How much omega-3 is in a salmon serving?

A 3-ounce serving of salmon is often in the neighborhood of 1,500 mg of EPA plus DHA. That is an average for comparison, not a lab result for the fillet on your plate.

Does this replace a clinician’s advice on fish oil?

No. People with heart disease, bleeding risk, or upcoming surgery need individualized advice. The linked guide summarizes what studies have and have not shown.

Related tools