Have you also lost your way in the maze of all the omega-3 supplements? We feel your struggle. With an abundance of choices on the market, it is often like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You want a good product, but what actually makes an omega 3 supplement high quality?
What is omega 3?
Omega-3 is a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are essential nutrients that our body cannot make itself, which is why we have to get them from food. The three most important types of omega-3 fatty acids are ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). ALA is found mainly in plant-based oils, while EPA and DHA occur mainly in oily fish.
What is omega 3 good for?
Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA in particular, are good for all kinds of things in our body:
- DHA specifically helps maintain sharp vision and is an important building block for the brain.
- DHA and EPA are good for blood pressure and support the heart.
Do you need an omega 3 supplement?
Determining whether you need an omega-3 supplement depends on several things. If you regularly eat oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or herring, you may already have enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Do you already start gagging at the thought of that slippery herring with onions or another (in your eyes) smelly fish? Or do you not eat fish because of conscious choices in your diet? Then it is good to consider how you can supplement your diet. During this consideration and search for a high-quality fish oil, it is good to pay attention to a few points.
Need an omega 3 supplement? 4 things to look out for
1. Sustainably sourced with certification
Sustainability is an increasingly important topic. This also applies to the fish oil industry. Yet there are still many omega 3 producers who use whole sardines or anchovies. These fish are ground up whole and will therefore never carry the Marine Stewardship Council label (MSC). Did you know that it takes 30 anchovies to fill just one capsule? This is an enormous amount of fish that could otherwise have been used for humans or animals. A waste, right?
For true sustainability, it is therefore important that we keep our hands off the meals of sea creatures and do not harm the oceans, the environment and local communities. A better option is therefore to use fillet trimmings for the fish oil after the fish has already been eaten by people.
2. Clean fish oil
Much of the fish used for making fish oil is caught on the other side of the world, in the plastic soup in the Pacific Ocean between Asia and South America. Did you know that the Barents Sea between Novaya Zemlya, Spitsbergen and northern Norway is one of the cleanest waters in the world? This is home mainly to wild cod, whose fillet trimmings are then used.
Still, almost all fish in the world contain some contamination. That is why it is important that testing is done for heavy metals, PCBs and dioxins. These must then be purified out of the fish oil to obtain an extremely clean oil. Strict quality standards are important for a product like fish oil. One example is the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) system. This system ensures that products are of high quality and meet safety standards.
You then also want clean, liquid fish oil in good packaging. Preferably in a glass bottle. That way you can be sure that no hormone-disrupting substances from plastic can end up in the fish oil.
3. Freshness
The freshness of an oil is also called the oxidation value. A high oxidation value can be smelled and tasted and causes those unpleasant fishy burps. A fresh oil will never 'repeat' with a fishy smell. The freshness of fish oil can be accurately measured in a laboratory, expressed as the oxidation value or Totox value, which stands for Total Oxidation value. The lower this value, the better.
Do you see a low Totox value? That means very fresh oil. A low Totox value makes the fish oil taste milder, so no strong artificial flavourings need to be added.
| Totox value | Fish oil quality |
| 5 or lower | Very fresh & best choice! |
| 6 - 15 | Average |
| 16 - 25 | Less fresh |
Omega-3 fatty acids are susceptible to damage after production due to exposure to air. For a low Totox value, the addition of antioxidants such as tocopherol-rich extract, rosemary extract and ascorbyl palmitate (fat-soluble vitamin C) is therefore desirable.
Do you not see a Totox value on the product or on the website of your omega 3 supplement? Then you know enough.
4. Natural form: triglycerides!
It is good to check which form the fish oil contains. There are two types:
- Ethyl esters are unstable fats with several disadvantages such as reduced absorption, a greater chance of oxidation and possibly a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste. Why are they used? Easy and cheaper.
- The triglyceride form is the natural form in which fats also occur in nature (so in fish). This form is well absorbed by your body and the most stable. If quality is your priority, this is a good choice.
Which omega 3 do you need?
Now you know what to look out for when buying fish oil. Do you prefer a capsule or a liquid fish oil for the whole family? Or do you go for algae oil instead? Below you will see an overview of the different omega 3 supplements.
Which omega 3 do you need? A comparison of supplements
| Omega 3 supplements | Our #1 capsule recommendationFish oil (large capsules) | Our #1 liquid fish oil recommendationFish oil liquid orange flavour (liquid) | Algae oil (small capsules) | Algae oil liquid |
| Specifications | 1 capsule contains:550 mg DHA
275 mg EPA |
1 coffee spoon (5 ml) contains:450mg DHA
380 mg EPA |
1 capsule contains:250 mg DHA | 1 teaspoon (2.5 ml) contains:990 mg DHA
340 mg EPA |
| Which suits you best? | High doseTocopherols protect the delicate fatty acids against oxidation
Convenience of capsules |
High doseNatural rosemary extract protects the delicate fatty acids against oxidation
Easy to take thanks to the liquid form with a pleasant taste |
Vegan or vegetarian lifestyleNatural rosemary extract protects the delicate fatty acids against oxidation
Convenience of capsules |
Vegan or vegetarian lifestyleNatural rosemary extract protects the delicate fatty acids against oxidation
Easy to take |
Which suits you best? Or rather: which omega 3 do you need in your situation?
In conclusion
Do you eat little or no oily fish per week? Then an omega 3 supplement might be worth recommending for you. Are you wondering which omega 3 you need? With this overview, you are well prepared to make an informed choice. Otherwise your body will not get what it does need. It is then important to choose a supplement of good quality, where sustainability, freshness and control of contamination come first. With this knowledge, you will save a lot of time figuring out which omega 3 supplement to choose. What is important to you? The choice is yours!
