WHAT IS EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID?

Eicosapentaenoic acid is a fatty acid found in the flesh of cold-water fish, including mackerel, herring, tuna, halibut, salmon, cod liver, whale blubber, or seal blubber.

Eicosapentaenoic acid is taken by mouth for some heart-related conditions including clogged heart arteries (coronary artery disease), to prevent or treat heart attacks, and to reduce levels of blood fats called triglycerides in people with very high levels. It is also used for some mental conditions including schizophrenia, personality disorder, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is also used to prevent loss of vision that occurs in older people (age-related macular degeneration; AMD), for psoriasis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and diabetes. Eicosapentaenoic acid is also used for lung cancer, prostate cancer, to help maintain body weight in people with cancer, and to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy in people with cancer.

Women use eicosapentaenoic acid to reduce symptoms of menopause, to reduce high blood pressure during high-risk pregnancies, and to reduce the risk of an infant having delayed growth while still in the uterus.

Eicosapentaenoic acid is used in combination with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil preparations for a variety of conditions, including preventing and reversing heart disease, and decreasing irregular heartbeats; as well as asthma, cancer, menstrual problems, hot flashes, hay fever, lung diseases, lupus, and kidney disease caused by an immune reaction. The combination is also used for migraine headache prevention in adolescents, skin infections, Behçet's syndrome, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, psoriasis, Raynaud's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Eicosapentaenoic acid is used in combination with RNA and L-arginine after surgery to reduce infections, improve wound healing, and shorten recovery time. It is also used in combination with another fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid, for high blood pressure.

Eicosapentaenoic acid is given intravenously (by IV), along with DHA, for psoriasis.

Don't confuse eicosapentaenoic acid with similar fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid and DHA, as well as with oils like krill or fish oils, which contain both eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Most available data involving eicosapentaenoic acid are from research and clinical experience with fish oil products containing variable combinations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. For more information, see the separate listings for Alpha-Linolenic Acid, DHA, Fish Oil, and Krill Oil.