Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 fatty acid with 20 carbons and 5 double bonds (20:5n3).
EPA can either be made from the downstream metabolism of ALA or it can be obtained in the diet. Food sources include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod, and sardines. In addition to diet and ALA desaturation, EPA is also available as a fish oil supplement. The desaturation of ALA to EPA is not a very efficient process, therefore dietary intake or supplementation is important.
As a precursor for prostaglandin-3 (which inhibits platelet aggregation), thromboxane-3, and leukotriene-5 eicosanoids, EPA carries special importance in the inflammatory cascade. EPA can also lower plasma triglyceride levels without raising low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Some studies suggest that in cardiovascular disease, EPA may decrease plaque vulnerability, prevent progression, and decrease macrophage accumulation. It is also vasodilatory which can lower blood pressure.
References:
- Lee JM, Lee H, Kang S, Park WJ. Fatty Acid Desaturases, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Regulation, and Biotechnological Advances. Nutrients. 2016;8(1).
- Anderson BM, Ma DW. Are all n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids created equal? Lipids in health and Disease. 2009;8(1):1-20.
- Nelson JR, Wani O, May HT, Budoff M. Potential benefits of eicosapentaenoic acid on atherosclerotic plaques. Vascular pharmacology. 2017;91:1-9.
- Sublette ME, Ellis SP, Geant AL, Mann JJ. Meta-analysis of the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in clinical trials in depression. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2011;72(12):1577-1584.
- Titova OE, Sjögren P, Brooks SJ, et al. Dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids is linked to gray matter volume and cognitive function in elderly. AGE. 2013;35(4):1495-1505.
- Hirahashi J, Kawahata K, Arita M, et al. Immunomodulation with eicosapentaenoic acid supports the treatment of autoimmune small-vessel vasculitis. Scientific Reports. 2014;4(1):6406.
- Robinson DR, Xu L-L, Tateno S, Guo M, Colvin RB. Suppression of autoimmune disease by dietary n-3 fatty acids. Journal of lipid research. 1993;34(8):1435-1444.
- Huang T-H, Wang P-W, Yang S-C, Chou W-L, Fang J-Y. Cosmetic and therapeutic applications of fish oil’s fatty acids on the skin. Marine drugs. 2018;16(8):256.
- Tajuddin N, Shaikh A, Hassan A. Prescription omega-3 fatty acid products: considerations for patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2016;9:109-118.
- Ashfaq W, Rehman K, Siddique MI, Khan Q-A-A. Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid from Fish Oil and Their Role in Cancer Research. Food Reviews International. 2020;36(8):795-814.
- Begtrup KM, Krag AE, Hvas A-M. No impact of fish oil supplements on bleeding risk: a systematic review. Dan Med J. 2017;64(5):A5366.
- Akintoye E, Sethi P, Harris WS, et al. Fish oil and perioperative bleeding: insights from the OPERA randomized trial. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2018;11(11):e004584.
- Jeansen S, Witkamp RF, Garthoff JA, van Helvoort A, Calder PC. Fish oil LC-PUFAs do not affect blood coagulation parameters and bleeding manifestations: analysis of 8 clinical studies with selected patient groups on omega-3-enriched medical nutrition. Clinical Nutrition. 2018;37(3):948-957.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
Elevations in EPA can be due to high dietary intake of EPA-containing foods from supplementation with fish oil. Lack of vitamin and mineral cofactors, or SNPs in the elongase enzyme, may also contribute to elevations. It should also be noted that there is competition for the elongase and desaturase enzymes between the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which may affect levels of fatty acid metabolites.
High levels of EPA and its downstream metabolite DHA have been used in treatment for many clinical conditions. Studies show benefit in cardiovascular disease, depression, cognitive decline, autoimmune diseases, skin diseases, inflammation, cancer, and metabolic syndrome. Because of EPA’s anti-platelet effects, oversupplementation was once thought to increase bleeding risk, especially if taken with other anticoagulants. However, new literature finds no increased risk of bleeding in patients taking fish oil supplementation while undergoing surgery and invasive procedures. In fact, some literature demonstrates a reduced need for blood transfusion in these patients.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedMonthly plan
Annual plan
Own it for life
Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
$15 /month
billed every month
Most popular
Data entry included
$79 /year
$6.60/month billed annually
Data entry included
$250 /once
own it for life
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Monthly Plus
for health professionals
$75 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
% Omega-3s, % Omega-6s, % Omega-9s, % Saturated Fats, 1-Methylhistidine, 3-Hydroxyisovaleric Acid, 3-Hydroxyphenylacetic Acid, 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid, 3-Methyl-4-OH-phenylglycol, 3-Methylhistidine, 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic Acid, 5-OH-indoleacetic Acid, 8-OHdG (urine), a-Amino-N-butyric Acid, a-Aminoadipic Acid, a-Hydroxybutyric Acid, a-Hydroxyisobutyric Acid (from MTBE), a-Keto-b-Methylvaleric Acid, a-Ketoadipic Acid, a-Ketoglutaric Acid, a-Ketoisocaproic Acid, a-Ketoisovaleric Acid, a-Ketophenylacetic Acid (from Styrene), a-Linolenic (ALA) 18:3 n3, AA / EPA (20:4 n6 / 20:5 n3), Adipic Acid, Alanine, Aluminum, Anserine (dipeptide), Antimony, Arachidic C20:0, Arachidonic (AA) 20:4 n6, Arginine, Arsenic, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, b-Alanine, b-Aminoisobutyric Acid, b-OH-b-Methylglutaric Acid, b-OH-Butyric Acid, Barium, Behenic C22:0, Benzoic Acid, Bismuth, Cadmium, Calcium, Carnosine (dipeptide), Cesium, Chromium, cis-Aconitic Acid, Citramalic Acid, Citric Acid, Citrulline, Cobalt, Copper, Creatinine, Creatinine Concentration (Amino Acids FMV), Cystathionine, Cysteine, Cystine, D-Arabinitol, Dihomo-g-linolenic (DGLA) 20:3 n6, Dihydroxyphenylpropionic Acid (DHPPA), Docosahexaenoic (DHA) 22:6 n3, Docosapentaenoic (DPA) 22:5 n3, Docosatetraenoic (DTA) 22:4 n6, Eicosadienoic 20:2 n6, Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) 20:5 n3, Elaidic 18:1 n9t, Ethanolamine, Formiminoglutamic Acid (FIGlu), g-Aminobutyric Acid, g-Linolenic (GLA) 18:3 n6, Gadolinium, Gallium, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glutaric Acid, Glyceric Acid, Glycine, Glycolic Acid, Hippuric Acid, Histidine, Homovanillic Acid, Indoleacetic Acid, Iron, Isocitric Acid, Isoleucine, Isovalerylglycine, Kynurenic / Quinolinic Ratio, Kynurenic Acid, Lactic Acid, Lead, Leucine, Lignoceric C24:0, Linoleic (LA) 18:2 n6, Linoleic / DGLA (18:2 n6 / 20:3 n6), Lipid Peroxides (urine), Lithium, Lysine, Magnesium, Malic Acid, Manganese, Margaric C17:0, Mercury, Methionine, Methylmalonic Acid, Molybdenum, Nervonic 24:1 n9, Nickel, Niobium, Oleic 18:1 n9, Omega-3 Index, Omega-6s /Omega-3s, Ornithine, Orotic Acid, Oxalic Acid, Palmitic C16:0, Palmitoleic 16:1 n7, Pentadecanoic C15:0, Phenylacetic Acid, Phenylalanine, Phosphoethanolamine, Phosphoserine, Platinum, Potassium, Proline, Pyroglutamic Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Quinolinic Acid, Rubidium, Sarcosine, Selenium, Serine, Stearic C18:0, Strontium, Suberic Acid, Succinic Acid, Sulfur, Tartaric Acid, Taurine, Thallium, Thorium, Threonine, Tin, Tricosanoic C23:0, Tryptophan, Tungsten, Tyrosine, Uranium, Urea, Urine Creatinine, Vaccenic 18:1 n7, Valine, Vanadium, Vanilmandelic Acid, Xanthurenic Acid, Zinc