How Omega-3s Support Your Hormones: The Key to Better Energy, Mood, and Metabolism
Jun 16, 2025Have you ever felt like your hormones are calling the shots? Dictating your mood, energy levels, cravings (queue the cookie dough), and even how well you sleep? If so, youā€™re not alone. Many women struggle with unexplained fatigue, stubborn weight gain, mood swings, or irregular cycles, often searching for answers in stress or genetics. But one key factor thatā€™s often overlooked? Nutrition.
What you eat directly impacts hormone production and regulation, serving as the foundation for either balance or imbalance. And one of the most powerful nutrients for hormonal health? Omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats help reduce inflammation, stabilize blood sugar, and even support brain function and mood, making them a game-changer f
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Have you ever felt like your hormones are calling the shots? Dictating your mood, energy levels, cravings (queue the cookie dough), and even how well you sleep? If so, you’re not alone. Many women struggle with unexplained fatigue, stubborn weight gain, mood swings, or irregular cycles, often searching for answers in stress or genetics. But one key factor that’s often overlooked? Nutrition.
What you eat directly impacts hormone production and regulation, serving as the foundation for either balance or imbalance. And one of the most powerful nutrients for hormonal health? Omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats help reduce inflammation, stabilize blood sugar, and even support brain function and mood, making them a game-changer for everything from PMS to perimenopause.
But how exactly do omega-3s support your hormones? And more importantly, how can you optimize your intake to feel your absolute best? Let’s get into it!
What Are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?
If there’s one nutrient I recommend to nearly every woman looking to optimize her health, it’s omega-3 fatty acids. Truth is, they’re essential for everything (I’m talking brain, heart, gut, hormones–everything!) but here’s the kicker: your body can’t make them on its own. You have to get them through food or supplements.
Something else to keep in mind is that not all omega-3s are created equal. There are three main types, and understanding how they work can help you make the best choices for your health:
1. EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)
The anti-inflammatory powerhouse. EPA is known for its ability to reduce chronic inflammation, which is at the root of hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, and even period pain.
2. DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)
The brain and nervous system supporter. DHA is crucial for brain function, mood regulation, and cognitive health, making it especially important for women dealing with stress, anxiety, or perimenopause brain fog.
3. ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid)
The plant-based omega-3. Found in flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts, ALA needs to be converted into EPA and DHA to be useful in the body, but the conversion rate is extremely low (about 5% or less). That’s why getting EPA and DHA directly from food or supplements is key for real benefits.
While you can find omega-3s in both animal and plant-based sources, the most bioavailable (easiest for your body to use) come from fatty fish and marine sources.
Here’s where you’ll find the highest amounts:
- Fatty fish – Wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, herring.
- Algae – The best plant-based source of DHA, perfect for vegans.
- Flaxseeds & Chia Seeds – High in ALA but limited in EPA/DHA conversion.
- Walnut – A great addition but not enough on their own.
- Pasture-raised Eggs – A small but meaningful source of DHA
If you’re not eating fatty fish at least two to three times a week, you’re probably not getting enough omega-3s, and that could be impacting your hormones more than you realize.
Omega-3s and Hormonal Health
Every single hormone in your body relies on healthy cell membranes to function properly. And guess what? Omega-3s are essential for building and maintaining those membranes. Without them, your cells become rigid and inflamed, making it harder for hormones to bind to receptors and do their job. PMID: 15385858
Let’s take a closer look at how they influence each hormone:
1. Estrogen
Estrogen is an essential hormone for reproductive health, mood, and metabolism, but too much or too little can cause major problems. Many women struggle with estrogen dominance, where estrogen levels are too high relative to progesterone. This can lead to symptoms like bloating, PMS, mood swings, and even increased risk for fibroids or breast tenderness.
Here’s how omega-3s help:
- Supports estrogen metabolism and detoxification, helping your body process and eliminate excess estrogen.
- Reduces estrogen dominance, easing symptoms like water retention, headaches, and mood imbalances.
- Improves menopausal symptoms, including reducing hot flashes and supporting brain function, keeping you sharp and focused as hormones shift.
2. Progesterone
Progesterone is your “feel-good” hormone that helps you feel calm, supports sleep, and prepares your body for pregnancy. It’s also critical for balancing estrogen, but chronic stress, inflammation, and poor nutrition can lower progesterone levels, making PMS symptoms worse.
Omega-3s can help by:
- Regulating the estrogen-progesterone balance, ensuring one hormone doesn’t overpower the other.
- Reducing inflammation, which supports healthy progesterone levels.
- Easing PMS symptoms, including cramps, anxiety, and irritability, by improving progesterone function in the luteal phase of your cycle.
3. Insulin
Insulin is one of the most powerful hormones for energy balance, weight management, and metabolic health. When insulin is working well, your blood sugar stays steady, your energy is stable, and cravings are under control. But when insulin resistance develops—often due to inflammation and a poor diet—your body stores more fat, cravings spike, and the risk for PCOS and metabolic disorders increases (yikes).
Omega-3s directly support insulin by:
- Enhancing insulin sensitivity, making your body more efficient at using glucose for energy.
- Stabilizing blood sugar levels, preventing energy crashes and cravings.
- Reducing inflammation in fat cells, which helps prevent insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.
This is why omega-3s are particularly beneficial for women with PCOS, who often experience insulin resistance alongside hormonal imbalances.
4. Thyroid Hormones
Your thyroid is like the gas pedal for your metabolism—it controls how much energy you burn, how warm you feel, and even how well your brain functions. But chronic inflammation, stress, and nutrient deficiencies can disrupt thyroid function, leading to issues like hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s.
Omega-3s help protect your thyroid by:
- Supporting thyroid hormone production and conversion, ensuring your body has enough active T3 for energy and metabolism.
- Reducing inflammation in the thyroid gland, which is especially important for Hashimoto’s and autoimmune thyroid issues.
- Boosting metabolism and cognitive function, helping with energy levels, mental clarity, and overall vitality.
If you’re dealing with brain fog, low energy, or unexplained weight gain, your thyroid (and omega-3 levels) might need some extra support.
5. Cortisol: Regulating the Stress Response
Cortisol is your body’s stress hormone, designed to keep you alert in the short term. But chronic stress leads to chronically high cortisol levels, which can cause anxiety, poor sleep, increased belly fat storage, and blood sugar dysregulation… all things we want to keep at bay.
Omega-3s help by:
- Regulating cortisol levels, preventing the damaging effects of prolonged stress.
- Reducing inflammation caused by chronic stress, protecting your body from burnout.
- Supporting adrenal health, helping you maintain steady energy levels throughout the day.
6. Testosterone
Most people associate testosterone with men, but women need testosterone too—for muscle maintenance, libido, and energy. However, both too much and too little can cause issues. Low testosterone can lead to issues such as low libido, muscle loss, and chronic fatigue, whilst high testosterone, often seen in PCOS, can cause acne, facial hair growth, and irregular cycles.
Omega-3s can help by:
- Supporting balanced testosterone levels, which is critical for muscle strength and libido.
- Reducing inflammation that contributes to low testosterone, helping with energy and endurance.
- Helping regulate testosterone in PCOS, preventing hormonal imbalances from worsening symptoms. PMID: 24711896
Now that you know how omega-3s influence your hormones, the next step is making sure you’re getting enough of them in your diet. In the next section, I’ll cover some of my favorite ways to optimize your intake for hormonal balance.
Practical Ways to Incorporate Omega-3s for Hormonal Balance
Now that you know how essential omega-3s are for balancing hormones and optimizing health, the next step is making sure you’re getting enough in your diet. The good news? It’s easier than you think!
Here are some easy ways to boost your intake:
- Breakfast: Scrambled pasture-raised eggs with smoked salmon and avocado on sourdough toast.
- Lunch: Sardine or salmon salad with leafy greens, walnuts, and flaxseed dressing.
- Dinner: Grilled mackerel with roasted vegetables and quinoa.
- Snacks: Chia pudding with berries, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey.
- Smoothie Boost: Add ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, and a spoonful of algae oil to your morning smoothie.
If you’re plant-based, focus on flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and algae-based omega-3 supplements to meet your needs (with the supplements, always check in with your healthcare provider first).
Conclusion
Your hormones impact everything—from energy and mood to metabolism and stress levels. And one of the most effective ways to support hormonal balance naturally is by prioritizing omega-3 fatty acids in your daily routine.
Remember, balancing your hormones doesn’t have to be complicated! Sometimes, small, consistent changes can lead to big, long-term results. If you’re ready to take a deeper dive into optimizing your hormone health, book a free discovery call today.
Reboot Your Hormone Health Program
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"Information courtesy of www.mebykatie.com; Katie Marshall is a certified Medical Esthetician, Acne Specialist, Functional Nutrition Counsellor, Holistic Chef, and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Specializing in skin health, gut health, hormone health, and the whole body. The basic premise is that functional nutrition gets to the root of the problem and resolves the actual problem. This differs from conventional medicine, which prescribes multiple meds to deal with symptoms, with little regard for resolving the root cause of the symptoms. Functional nutrition is more personalized, customized, and holistic. My job is to work with your medical team and advocate for you if necessary."
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