Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) & Peripheral artery disease

Written based on 20 research studies on PubMed, searched on 14 Nov 2026.

The claim

Posts online say that omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) helps with peripheral artery disease.

Where research stands

We found 31 published papers on omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) and peripheral artery disease. They were published between 1998 and 2026. 10 of them are studies in people. 9 of them compared people who got it with a group that did not. None was a study in animals, and none was only in cells in the lab. 12 papers are reviews that sum up other studies.

• 10In people9 with a comparison group
• 0In animals
• 0Only in the lab

What the studies found

We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.

Verdict

Sources

1. Effects of basal insulin glargine and omega-3 on lower limb arterial disease outcome in patients with dysglycaemia: An analysis of the Outcome Reduction with an Initial Glargine INtervention (ORIGIN) trial.2019 · Diabetes Obes Metab · Randomised trial
2. Fish Oil Increases Specialized Pro-resolving Lipid Mediators in PAD (The OMEGA-PAD II Trial).2019 · J Surg Res · Randomised trial
3. Relationship between the omega-3 index and specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators in patients with peripheral arterial disease taking fish oil supplements.2017 · J Clin Lipidol · Randomised trial
4. Predictors of change in omega-3 index with fish oil supplementation in peripheral artery disease.2017 · J Surg Res · Randomised trial
5. Short-Term, High-Dose Fish Oil Supplementation Increases the Production of Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Derived Mediators in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease (the OMEGA-PAD I Trial).2015 · J Am Heart Assoc · Randomised trial
6. Effect of Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on markers of platelet and endothelial function in patients with peripheral arterial disease.2012 · Atherosclerosis · Randomised trial
7. Preventive effects of eicosapentaenoic acid on coronary artery disease in patients with peripheral artery disease.2010 · Circ J · Randomised trial
8. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in peripheral arterial disease: effect on lipid pattern, disease severity, inflammation profile, and endothelial function.2008 · Clin Nutr · Randomised trial
9. Fish oil induced increase in walking distance, but not ankle brachial pressure index, in peripheral arterial disease is dependent on both body mass index and inflammatory genotype.2007 · Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids · Study in people
10. Randomized controlled trial of gamma-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in peripheral arterial disease.1998 · Clin Nutr · Study in people
11. Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.2026 · Cardiovasc Drugs Ther · Review
12. Response to comments on "The effectiveness of intervention with omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexenoic acid in peripheral arterial disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis".2026 · Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Review
13. Comments on "The effectiveness of intervention with omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexenoic acid in peripheral arterial disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis".2026 · Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Review
14. The effectiveness of intervention with omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexenoic acid in peripheral arterial disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.2026 · Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Review
15. The Impact of Flavonoids and Omega-3 in Mitigating Frailty Syndrome to Improve Treatment Outcomes in Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Patients.2025 · Nutrients · Review
16. Omega-3 fatty acids for intermittent claudication.2024 · Cochrane Database Syst Rev · Review
17. Eicosapentaenoic Acid Level Predicts Long-Term Survival and Cardiovascular or Limb Event in Peripheral Arterial Disease.2024 · Ann Vasc Dis · Other paper
18. Eicosapentaenoic acid levels predict prognosis of peripheral artery disease caused by aortoiliac artery lesions.2021 · Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis · Other paper
19. Relationship Between Serum Eicosapentaenoic Acid to Arachidonic Acid Ratio and Atherosclerotic Risk Factors in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease.2021 · Vasc Endovascular Surg · Other paper
20. The prognostic value of the serum eicosapentaenoic acid to arachidonic acid ratio in relation to clinical outcomes after endovascular therapy in patients with peripheral artery disease caused by femoropopliteal artery lesions.2015 · Atherosclerosis · Other paper