The best time to take fish oil is with a meal that contains some fat, at whatever time of day you will remember it consistently. Clock time matters far less than taking it with food and taking it every day, which is why MAXIS Ultra Omega-3 (EPA + DHA) is labeled simply as two softgels daily with food.
Key takeaways
- Take fish oil with a meal. In a crossover trial in healthy men, EPA and DHA exposure was roughly 40% lower when a concentrated omega-3 was taken fasting than after a meal.
- Morning or night is a personal choice. No good evidence shows that one time of day raises omega-3 levels more than another.
- Consistency drives results. Blood omega-3 levels build over months of daily intake, and in a five-month trial the daily dose explained most of the response.
- Pair it with your other fat-soluble supplements. Vitamin D3 was also absorbed better with a fat-containing meal.
Featured in this article: MAXIS Ultra Omega-3 (EPA + DHA). 660 mg EPA and 310 mg DHA in two mini softgels, 60 servings per bottle. See the full label and dosing →
What is the best time to take fish oil?
EPA and DHA are fats, and your body absorbs them the way it absorbs the fat in food: enzymes break the oil down and bile salts help the fatty acids reach the intestinal wall. A meal switches that machinery on; a softgel with water on an empty stomach gets little help.
Where the clock does matter is practical. If you eat a light breakfast and a proper dinner, dinner is the better anchor. If dinner is unpredictable but breakfast is not, choose breakfast. The right schedule is the one you will not skip.
Why taking fish oil with food matters
The clearest human data on food comes from a 2017 crossover trial in 42 healthy men who took a single dose of a concentrated omega-3 in free fatty acid form three ways: fasting, just before a meal and just after a meal. Compared with taking it after the meal, overall exposure to EPA plus DHA over 72 hours was about 39% lower when it was taken fasting and about 38% lower when it was taken before eating. Peak levels were about 52 to 62% lower without food.
The same trial also tracked tolerance. Diarrhea was reported by 5 men in the fasting condition and 6 in the before-meal condition, and by none when the omega-3 was taken after a meal. That fits the most common complaints about fish oil listed by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: an unpleasant taste, bad breath, heartburn, nausea and stomach discomfort. Food will not remove every aftertaste, but it is the simplest step that helps. Our guide to avoiding fish oil burps covers the rest.
Morning or night: does it matter?
Many articles recommend one or the other, but we are not aware of controlled human research showing that fish oil taken in the morning raises omega-3 levels more than fish oil taken at night, or the reverse. What decides the choice is how your days run:
| Take it with… | Works well if… | Watch out for… |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | You eat a real breakfast with eggs, yogurt, nuts or avocado, and your mornings are routine. | Black coffee and nothing else is not a meal. |
| Lunch | Lunch is your most consistent meal, or you keep a bottle at work. | Easy to forget on busy days. |
| Dinner | Dinner is your largest meal, or fish oil repeats on you during the day. | Some people notice reflux if they lie down soon after a large meal. |
Splitting the serving, one softgel at breakfast and one at dinner, is a reasonable option if you notice aftertaste. The total daily amount is what counts.
Consistency matters more than timing
EPA and DHA are gradually built into the membranes of your cells, so levels rise over weeks and months of daily intake, not after a single dose. For how much you need, see EPA vs. DHA: how much omega-3 you need.
A randomized trial in 115 healthy men and women gave daily doses of 0, 300, 600, 900 or 1,800 mg of EPA plus DHA for about five months and measured omega-3 levels in red blood cells. The rise tracked the dose: the daily EPA plus DHA amount alone explained about 68% of the variation in response, and body weight, starting level, age, sex and activity explained more. A missed week matters more than whether you take it at 8 a.m. or 8 p.m.
That is why the dose on the label matters. MAXIS Ultra Omega-3 provides 970 mg of EPA and DHA in each two-softgel serving, which sits between the two highest doses in that trial, and it is meant to be taken every day with food. The NIH notes that the FDA has concluded supplements providing no more than 5 g a day of EPA and DHA are safe when used as recommended.
Taking fish oil with other supplements
Because fish oil belongs with a meal, it is a natural anchor for other fat-soluble supplements, such as vitamin D. In a 2015 trial in 50 healthy older adults, peak blood vitamin D3 after a single dose was 32% higher when it was taken with a breakfast containing fat than with a fat-free breakfast. Taking your fish oil and your vitamin D3 with the same meal turns two habits into one.
A few cautions apply. Fish oil might prolong clotting time, so the NIH advises that people taking anticoagulants such as warfarin be monitored. Talk to your doctor before starting if you take a blood thinner or other medication, have a heart rhythm condition, or are pregnant or nursing. Anyone with a fish allergy should avoid fish oil. The research described here was done on omega-3 and vitamin D ingredients, not on the finished MAXIS product.
Where MAXIS Ultra Omega-3 fits
MAXIS Ultra Omega-3 (EPA + DHA) is a concentrated fish oil from anchovy, sardine and mackerel. Each serving of two mini softgels provides 1,020 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, including 660 mg EPA and 310 mg DHA, with mixed natural tocopherols to protect the oil. EPA and DHA support heart, brain and eye health.† The label direction is two softgels daily with food, and the bottle holds 60 servings, so one bottle lasts two months. The softgel is bovine gelatin, so it is not vegetarian. It is part of our Daily Foundations collection.
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Pairs well with
- MAXIS Vitamin D3 + K2 (MK-7): another daily basic that belongs with a fat-containing meal, so you can take both with the same plate. It provides 5,000 IU of D3 with 100 mcg of vitamin K2 as vitaMK7®; vitamin D supports normal bones and immune function.† Its 5,000 IU is above the 4,000 IU daily upper limit for adults, so check your vitamin D level with your healthcare provider, as we explain in is 5,000 IU of vitamin D too much?
The Daily Foundations Stack brings Ultra Omega-3, Vitamin D3 + K2 and Magnesium Glycinate together in one order, for a simple daily routine.
FAQ
Is it better to take fish oil in the morning or at night?
Neither has been shown to raise omega-3 levels more. Take it with whichever meal is most consistent for you and contains some fat. If it repeats on you, dinner or a split dose may suit you better.
Should fish oil be taken with food?
Yes. In a trial in healthy men, EPA and DHA exposure was roughly 40% lower when a concentrated omega-3 was taken fasting than after a meal, and diarrhea was reported only when it was not taken after a meal.
Can I take fish oil and vitamin D together?
Yes, and it is convenient. Both are fat-soluble, and vitamin D3 was absorbed better with a meal containing fat. Many people take MAXIS Ultra Omega-3 and Vitamin D3 + K2 with the same meal.
How long does it take for omega-3 levels to rise?
Levels build gradually over weeks to months of daily intake. In one dose-response trial, red blood cell omega-3 levels were measured after about five months of daily supplementation.
References
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
- Shimada H, Nilsson C, Noda Y, Kim H, Lundström T, Yajima T. (2017). Effects of Food on the Pharmacokinetics of Omega-3-Carboxylic Acids in Healthy Japanese Male Subjects: A Phase I, Randomized, Open-label, Three-period, Crossover Trial. Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, 24(9), 980–987. PMC5587524
- Flock MR, Skulas-Ray AC, Harris WS, Etherton TD, Fleming JA, Kris-Etherton PM. (2013). Determinants of erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acid content in response to fish oil supplementation: a dose-response randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2(6), e000513. doi:10.1161/JAHA.113.000513
- Dawson-Hughes B, Harris SS, Lichtenstein AH, Dolnikowski G, Palermo NJ, Rasmussen H. (2015). Dietary Fat Increases Vitamin D-3 Absorption. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(2), 225–230. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.09.014
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This article is for information only and isn’t medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting a supplement, especially if you take medication or have a health condition.
Written by
MAXIS Team
