Written from the studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 11.. Every number below comes from a study listed under Sources.
What people read
Posts online say that Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) helps with Type 2 diabetes.
What has been studied
- 118In people100 randomised trials
- 66In animals
- 3Only in the lab
What the studies found
Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) has been tested in randomised trials in people with Type 2 diabetes.
We found 332 published papers on Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) and Type 2 diabetes. They were published between 1984 and 2026.
118 of them are studies in people (100 randomised trials), 52 are reviews, 66 are studies in animals and 3 are studies only in the lab.
The most important ones are listed under Sources.
What this means for you: A study in people is not proof that it helps you. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- The combined effect of yoga and rich in omega-3 camelina sativa powder on glycemic indices, inflammation, and oxidative stress in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.2026 · Nutr Diabetes · Randomised trial
- Efficacy of probiotic co-supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs on pancreatic beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes.2025 · Sci Rep · Randomised trial
- Effects of fish oil intervention on type 2 diabetes early risk novel biomarkers in healthy middle-aged and elderly adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.2025 · Food Funct · Randomised trial
- Impact of omega-3 fatty acids on hypertriglyceridemia, lipidomics, and gut microbiome in patients with type 2 diabetes.2025 · Med · Randomised trial
- Improvement in Glycolipid Metabolism Parameters After Supplementing Fish Oil-Derived Omega-3 Fatty Acids Is Associated with Gut Microbiota and Lipid Metabolites in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.2024 · Nutrients · Randomised trial
- Biomarkers of glucose-insulin homeostasis and incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: results from the Vitamin D and Omega-3 trial.2024 · Cardiovasc Diabetol · Randomised trial
- The effect of curcumin and high-content eicosapentaenoic acid supplementations in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a double-blinded randomized clinical trial.2024 · Nutr Diabetes · Randomised trial
- Icosapent ethyl modulates circulating vascular regenerative cell content: The IPE-PREVENTION CardioLink-14 trial.2024 · Med · Randomised trial
- Targeting inflammation in cardiometabolic disease: Icosapent ethyl modulates monocyte-derived macrophages isolated from patients with cardiovascular disease with or without type 2 diabetes.2026 · Diabet Med · Study in people
- Effect of basal insulin and omega 3 fatty acids on cognitive impairment in dysglycaemia: An exploratory analysis of the ORIGIN trial.2024 · Diabetes Obes Metab · Study in people
- Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for distal symmetrical peripheral neuropathy in adults with diabetes mellitus.2025 · Cochrane Database Syst Rev · Review
- Dose-dependent effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on C-reactive protein concentrations in cardiometabolic disorders: a dose-response meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.2025 · Inflammopharmacology · Review
- Mechanisms Linking Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Alzheimer's Disease: Effects of Polyphenols and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids.2025 · Nutrients · Review
- Vitamin D supplementation vs. placebo and incident type 2 diabetes in an ancillary study of the randomized Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial.2025 · Nat Commun · Review
- The Role of Omega- 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Diabetes Mellitus Management: A Narrative Review.2024 · Curr Nutr Rep · Review
- Comparison of the efficacy of fish oil and probiotic supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.2024 · Diabetol Metab Syndr · Review
- Hypoglycemic Effect of Astaxanthin Oil-Fish Oil Complex in Mice With Type 2 Diabetes.2026 · Food Sci Nutr · In animals
- Docosahexaenoic acid is comparable to vildagliptin in improving hyperglycemia and pancreatic insulin signaling of diabetic rats via SIRT1/Akt/PI3K pathway.2026 · Sci Rep · In animals
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid Attenuates Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus-Related Sarcopenia in Mice and Its Potential Mechanisms.2026 · J Agric Food Chem · In animals
- Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Pre-Clinical Study Examining the Effect of Omega-3 PUFAs from Fish Oil, Krill Oil, Algae or Pharmaceutical-Derived Ethyl Esters Using Type 2 Diabetic Rats.2025 · Biomedicines · In animals
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids attenuate cognitive impairment via the gut-brain axis in diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction rats.2025 · Brain Behav Immun · In animals
- Retinal Docosahexaenoic Acid Is Significantly Reduced in Diabetic Humans and Mice: Possible Relationship to Diabetic Retinopathy.2024 · Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci · In animals
- Docosahexaenoic Acid Ester of Phloridzin Reduces Inflammation and Insulin Resistance via AMPK.2022 · Curr Pharm Des · In the lab
- Effect of Vitamin D3 in combination with Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on NETosis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.2021 · Oxid Med Cell Longev · In the lab
- Omega-3 fatty acids prevent inflammation and metabolic disorder through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.2013 · Immunity · In the lab
- Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids relate to lower liver lipids and adipose-tissue insulin resistance, modulated by fatty acid desaturase 1 rs174546 in type 2 diabetes.2026 · Clin Nutr · Other paper
- The relationship between intake of dietary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and sleep quality in older adults with diabetes: A hospital-based analysis.2026 · Medicine (Baltimore) · Other paper
- Regular Use of Fish Oil Supplements, Life's Essential 8 Score, and Cardiovascular Mortality in People With Type 2 Diabetes: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.2025 · J Nutr · Other paper
- Fish Oil, Plasma n-3 PUFAs, and Risk of Macro- and Microvascular Complications Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.2025 · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · Other paper