The Great Omega-3 Lie: What the Supplement Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
Tim GoodwinDo a search on Amazon.co.uk for Omega 3 supplements and you’ll see over 500 results
Trying to work out which of these products to buy and which are best for you is nigh on impossible. Other than relying on the reviews and ranking that Amazon sets for a product, how would we know if it's any good?
We all know how reliable Amazon’s reviews are!
Recently I embarked on the task of finding out which are the best Omega 3 Supplements in the UK. We spent years in this category ourselves, so we knew where the bodies were buried — and we wanted to see how the big sellers really compared once you read the back label.
Then, I discovered the big Omega 3 lie, and how most consumers are being misled about the contents of their Fish Oils supplements.
Quality vs Quantity For Omega 3 Capsules
The first part of the lie comes from the perception of value when you go to buy a fish oil supplement. Let's see an example:
- Omega 3 Fish Oil 1000mg - 365 Softgel Capsules - Up to 12 Month’s Supply - Pure Fish Oil with Balanced EPA & DHA
Sounds like an amazing deal right?
- Omega 3 Fish Oil 360 Soft Gels - 2000mg per serving | High Levels of EPA & DHA | Premium Easy Swallow Omega3 Fish Oils Gel Capsules
Again, 360 capsules suggesting a year's supply and 2000mg per serving - seems like a great deal.
However, there's a problem - it's all lies. These two products are some of the lowest quality Omega 3 supplements rather than the best omega 3 supplement you'll find on Amazon.
The 50% Rule For Omega 3 Capsules
Whenever someone asks me about an Omega 3 supplement, there is one very simple check I make to judge its quality… and I want to show you how easy it is for you to check too.
The main components of Omega 3 are:
- Eicosapentaenoic acid - EPA
- Docosahexaenoic acid - DHA
- Alpha-linolenic acid - ALA
EPA and DHA are the important parts, ALA much less so.
In cheap, low quality Omega 3 supplements, brands skimp on the EPA and DHA, and load it up with ALA. Which then makes people question Are Omega 3 Supplements Good for You?
My absolute baseline for a quality Omega 3 is at least 50% must be made up of EPA and DHA. Any lower and it’s not worth buying.
How To Read The Label On An Omega 3 Supplement
Most (but not all) Omega 3 supplements come as 1000mg capsules. This makes the maths easy, and you can do it in your head. A 1000mg capsule should contain at least 500mg of EPA/DHA.
Let's look at some examples:
- Add the EPA and DHA values - 300mg per 1000mg capsule
- So 30% which doesn’t meet our baseline quality we’re looking for.
Problem comes when labels are marked differently, showing a per serving amount rather than a per capsule.
- With this example you see a serving of 2000mg (aka 2 x 1000mg capsules), and the combined total of EPA and DHA working out to be 1100mg.
- This is better at 55%,so above our 50% baseline.
You’ll see other products where the capsule size is bigger than 1000mg which makes the maths more difficult, and you might need to use a calculator to work out the percentages.
Top Omega 3 Supplements on Amazon.co.uk and Their EPA/DHA Percentages
If you’re really bored, work through the top 10 products on Amazon for the search Omega 3 and work out the percentage of EPA/DHA for each one.
Its OK, I've done it for you.
(Data correct as of 7 June 2023)
| Amazon Position | Brand | Percentage of EPA/DHA | Amount of EPA/DHA per capsule | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zipvit | 55% | 550mg | £9.97 and 10,000+ Zipvit omega 3 reviews |
| 2 | Nutravita | 55% | 550mg | £18.99 and 14,000+ Nutravita omega 3 reviews |
| 3 | Nu U | 30% | 300mg | £17.95 but way too low EPA/DHA |
| 4 | VitaBiotics | 55% | 590mg | £7.13 and 2000 reviews |
| 5 | Bulk | 30% | 300mg | Just Avoid!!!! |
| 6 | Horbaach | 24% | 240mg | Probably the worst! |
| 7 | Nutritrust | 70% | 700mg | £7.99 Cheap but good, although not sure of origin? |
| 8 | SevenSeas | 40% | 100mg | Cod Liver Oil so very LOW EPA/DHA per capsule |
| 9 | Solgar | 63 % | 882mg | Solid brand |
| 10 | Nutrivita | 70% | 700mg | A better version compared to the one at position 2 |
3 Rules For Choosing A Quality Omega 3 Supplement
- To make it best quality omega 3 each capsule must contain at least 50% EPA/DHA
- Avoid the 12 months supply tubs, often showing as 365 capsules or bulk buys. The fish oil will likely degrade and go off within 6 months of breaking the seal on the tub.
- Don’t get suckered in by high review counts on Amazon listings.
What a good label actually looks like
So what should you be holding out for?
Set your bar at greater than 70% EPA/DHA and most of the shelf disqualifies itself immediately.
In practice that means a 1000mg capsule showing something like 500mg EPA and 250mg DHA on the back — 750mg of the part that counts, from 1000mg of oil.
That is over twice what many of the Amazon top sellers deliver per capsule, and it is the single number worth comparing across brands.
Everything else on the front of the bottle — the capsule count, the “12 month supply”, the review score — tells you nothing about quality.
Turn it over. Find the EPA and DHA line. Do the division. That is the whole test.
We do not sell an omega-3, so there is nothing for us to talk you into here. If you want the rest of your daily routine handled in one scoop, Collagen Greens puts greens, collagen and creatine in a single drink.
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