Guide
Fish oil and creatine
Fish oil and creatine are often taken together in training stacks, and there's no documented interaction between them. Creatine has a well-established strength and power research base; fish oil's own research is in a different territory.
Yes — fish oil and creatine are commonly taken together, especially by people already using a resistance-training stack, and there's no documented interaction between them. Fish oil supplies EPA and DHA, two omega-3 fatty acids, in a fat-soluble softgel; creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound the body makes and stores mainly in muscle, taken in gram doses. Nothing about combining them has been shown to change what either one does.
Why they end up in the same stack
Fish oil and creatine are both sold as general-purpose daily supplements, and creatine in particular has a large, well-established research base for strength, power output and lean mass when paired with resistance training, summarized in a 2017 position stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Fish oil doesn't have a comparable strength or performance research base at typical supplement doses — its most-studied territory is cardiovascular biomarkers and mood, covered on our other fish oil pages. The two end up in the same stack because both are common daily supplements, not because a trial has tested them combined.
Does fish oil contain creatine?
No. Fish oil concentrate is fat and omega-3 fatty acids. Our panel lists fish oil concentrate, EPA, DHA and vitamin E — no creatine, no amino acids, no nitrogen-containing compounds of any kind.
What actually matters if you're taking both
- Different dosing scales. Creatine is commonly dosed around 3-5 g/day for maintenance after an optional loading phase; our fish oil softgel supplies 300 mg of EPA and DHA combined per softgel, taken twice daily. There's no shared "combined dose" between the two — see how much creatine should you take a day for creatine's own numbers.
- Timing. Fish oil is commonly taken with meals to reduce the fishy aftertaste some people notice; creatine's timing (with or around training) doesn't depend on fish oil, and the reverse is also true.
- Checking for overlap. Pre-workout or "performance stack" products sometimes bundle several active ingredients into one serving. Check any combination product's label against what you're already taking of each.
Questions people ask
Can I take fish oil and creatine together?
Yes. There's no documented interaction between fish oil and creatine at typical supplement doses.
Does fish oil help creatine work better?
No trial has tested that combination. Creatine's strength and power research, referenced above, doesn't depend on fish oil being added, and nothing in fish oil's own research base addresses strength or power output at supplement doses.
Does fish oil have creatine or protein in it?
No to both. Fish oil concentrate is a fat source — EPA and DHA — with no protein, amino acid or creatine content.
Our product
Electric Tiger Omega-3 is fish oil concentrate only: 1,000 mg per softgel, providing 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA, one softgel twice daily, as low as $16.79 a bottle on subscription. No added creatine or amino acids. Full panel here.
Sources
- Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017. PMID 28615996.
- Electric Tiger Omega-3 Supplement Facts: product page.
Related reading: what is creatine, how much creatine should you take a day, and fish oil and magnesium.
Sources
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine A 2017 position stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition describes how creatine is stored and used by muscle, and concludes it's safe and well tolerated across the doses and durations tested in the literature it reviewed.
*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.
