HOW MUCH OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID TO TAKE DAILY?

Yes—but the right daily amount depends on what you are trying to achieve. There is no single official recommended daily dose for EPA+DHA for all adults; U.S. nutrition reference values are established for ALA, not EPA/DHA. (Office of Dietary Supplements)

A practical guide for adults

Goal	Typical omega-3 intake
General nutritional/heart health	Eat fatty fish ~2 times/week
General supplementation when little/no      fish is eaten	~250–500 mg/day EPA+DHA is a commonly used          practical range
Supporting cardiovascular health / triglycerides	Often 1–2 g/day EPA+DHA, depending on circumstances
Blood-pressure reduction	Research suggests ~2–3 g/day EPA+DHA can produce a modest reduction
Very high triglycerides	Prescription omega-3 doses of ~4 g/day may be used under medical supervision

The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish. (www.heart.org)

For blood pressure specifically, a review of 71 clinical trials found that 2–3 g/day of combined EPA+DHA produced an average reduction of about 2 mmHg, with a larger reduction in people who already had hypertension. (www.heart.org)

One very important point

When buying an omega-3 supplement, do not look only at “fish oil 1,000 mg.”

For example:

1,000 mg fish oil ≠ 1,000 mg EPA+DHA

A 1,000-mg fish-oil capsule might contain only around 300 mg of EPA+DHA, depending on the product.

So look for the actual amounts of:

EPA ____ mg + DHA ____ mg = total EPA+DHA

For the health areas you have been asking about

Since you've been asking about blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, arthritis and brain function, a reasonable general target is often around 500–1,000 mg/day of combined EPA+DHA when dietary fish intake is low. Higher doses, such as 2–3 g/day, should be considered for a specific reason rather than simply because "more is better."

Also, the FDA advises not exceeding 5 g/day of EPA+DHA from supplements. High doses can interact with anticoagulant medicines and may increase bleeding risk. (Office of Dietary Supplements)

The dose should therefore be based on the objective—not simply age or body weight.