Benefits
A marine omega-3 oil higher in DHA than EPA
The feature that sets calamari oil apart is its ratio. In a compositional analysis of squid viscera oil, DHA made up roughly 15 to 17 percent and EPA about 9 to 10 percent, so DHA clearly exceeded EPA. A review of high-DHA oils lists calamari oil among the newer marine oils that carry more DHA than EPA, the opposite of most fish oils.
Triglyceride support from marine EPA and DHA
Marine omega-3s lower blood triglycerides at adequate intakes, an effect best documented for DHA and EPA as a class rather than for calamari oil itself. Pooled DHA trials found triglycerides fell while LDL cholesterol rose. Calamari oil supplies these same fatty acids; the full outcome evidence is on our Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acids pages.
Oxidative stress markers in a combination supplement trial
In a 12-week randomized placebo-controlled trial, 25 adults in chiropractic care took either a combination of hemp oil, calamari oil and broccoli or a placebo. The supplement group reported less pain and showed about a 29 percent fall in a blood marker of oxidative stress. Because three ingredients were combined, the result cannot be credited to calamari oil alone, and the study was run by the maker.
Natural triglyceride form that carries astaxanthin
Calamari oil delivers its DHA and EPA as triglycerides, the same form found in fish and in the fat we eat. Laboratory work on squid oil found the DHA sits mainly at the middle (sn-2) position of the triglyceride and that the oil carries astaxanthin, a carotenoid antioxidant that helps protect such oils from going rancid. These are chemistry findings, not proven health effects in people.
A fast-renewing, byproduct marine source
Squid are short-lived and reproduce quickly: a fisheries agency notes a life span of only several months and that the squid population can replace itself each year, so the stocks can handle a relatively high level of fishing. Calamari oil is often extracted from the squid viscera left over from food processing, which turns a byproduct into a usable omega-3 oil.
Mechanism of action
EPA and DHA are built into cell membranes
Once absorbed, the EPA and DHA from calamari oil are incorporated into cell membrane phospholipids and serve as raw material for the signaling molecules the body makes during inflammation. DHA is the dominant omega-3 in the brain and retina, which is why DHA-forward oils draw interest for those tissues; those uses are discussed on our Omega-3 Fatty Acids page.
Why a DHA-forward ratio is distinct
EPA and DHA were long treated as one entity, but reviews now describe different, sometimes complementary, roles for each. DHA is taken up strongly into neural and retinal membranes, while EPA features more in the inflammation and mood literature. A high-DHA oil such as calamari oil therefore shifts the balance toward DHA compared with EPA-forward fish oils.
Triglyceride form and the astaxanthin it carries
The omega-3 in squid oil sits in triglyceride form, which the gut processes efficiently, with DHA held mainly at the sn-2 position. Whole squid oil also contains astaxanthin, a carotenoid that in laboratory testing improves the oil's oxidative stability. This is background chemistry rather than a proven clinical effect.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a whole-food combination of hemp oil, calamari oil and broccoli taken for 12 weeks alongside chiropractic care; run by the supplement's maker. (Carlisle et al. 2023, Nutrients)
25 adults in chiropractic care (12 on the supplement, 13 on placebo), average age about 55.
The combination group reported a 52 percent drop in pain intensity and improvements in pain interference including sleep quality, plus about a 29 percent fall in reactive oxygen species in blood immune cells. Because hemp oil, calamari oil and broccoli were combined, the effect cannot be attributed to calamari oil alone, and all but one author were employees of the maker.
Systematic review of the health effects of high-DHA marine oils, including calamari oil, across heart and cardiovascular, brain and visual, and inflammatory outcomes. (Ghasemi Fard et al. 2019, Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr)
A review of human studies of high-DHA oils, not a single trial.
The review lists calamari oil among newer oils that carry more DHA than EPA. It concludes that DHA is a beneficial compound for heart, cardiovascular and brain function, with effects that differ from and sometimes complement EPA, while noting that several outcomes were reported as inconclusive or inconsistent. Two authors were affiliated with an omega-3 ingredient company.
Meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials of DHA, from algal oil, on blood lipids in people without coronary heart disease. (Bernstein et al. 2012, J Nutr)
485 healthy adults across 11 randomized trials; median DHA dose about 1.68 g a day.
DHA lowered serum triglycerides by about 0.20 mmol/L while raising LDL cholesterol by 0.23 and HDL cholesterol by 0.07 mmol/L. The trials used algal DHA rather than calamari oil, but they describe what the DHA in a high-DHA marine oil does to blood lipids. This is a lipid outcome, not a cardiovascular-event outcome.
Large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled primary-prevention trial of 1 g a day of marine omega-3 (EPA plus DHA) over a median 5.3 years. (Manson et al. 2019, N Engl J Med)
25,871 generally healthy adults in the United States.
At 1 g a day, marine omega-3 did not reduce the primary combined outcome of major cardiovascular events, with only a secondary signal for fewer heart attacks. The product was a mixed EPA plus DHA oil, not calamari oil; it is cited to show that raising omega-3 intake is not the same as a proven reduction in cardiovascular events.