2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is spreading rapidly internationally, has killed more than 6 million people worldwide, and has become the most significant global health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Up to now, COVID-19 has continued to affect the health status and daily lives of people around the world. Patients who are positive for the transmittable disease are either asymptomatic or exhibit symptoms ranging from none to none, including fever, body aches, sore throat, dry cough, shortness of breath, loss of smell, and gastrointestinal abnormalities. Severe complications are primarily due to an overdrive of the host immune system, resulting in a “cytokine storm”. This leads to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Because of its highly infectious nature and alarming mortality rate, scientists are constantly working to repurpose old treatment options or create new drugs to prevent COVID-19 as well as improve the suffering of COVID-19 patients.

Researchers have discussed the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA, through a comprehensive review of the vast body of literature, including their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and possibly antiviral effects.

Overall, omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated throughout the body into the bi-phospholipid layer of cell membranes, resulting in the production of fewer pro-inflammatory cytokines than other fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids, through their anti-inflammatory mechanism, inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory mediators like interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and prevent cytokine storm. Some studies also suggest that they dampen the inflammatory response through regulatory T cells (Treg) differentiation. They also exert an anti-viral effect by enhancing the phagocytic activity of cells of the innate immune system- Neutrophils and Macrophages (as shown below).

Because of the multiple benefits of Omaga-3 fatty acids, increasing dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids or supplementation could reduce viral entry, promote better immune function, and reduce the severity of people diagnosed with COVID-19. So, it could work as a healthier choice of supplement in this ongoing pandemic situation.

Aleem A, Akbar Samad AB, Vaqar S. Emerging Variants of SARS-CoV-2 and Novel Therapeutics Against Coronavirus (COVID-19) [Updated 2023 May 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK570580/ [Link]

Hathaway III, D., Pandav, K., Patel, M., Riva-Moscoso, A., Singh, B. M., Patel, A., … & Abreu, R. (2020). Omega 3 fatty acids and COVID-19: a comprehensive review. Infection & chemotherapy, 52(4), 478. [Link]