Is your Omega 3 Fish oil good quality? Buyer beware

by Julianne Taylor

The Liggins Institute in Auckland New Zealand, tested 32 off the shelf fish oil, Omega 3 supplements  for oxidation levels and omega 3 EPA and DHA content. They found the vast majority to be of poor quality. Here is an overview of the study.

Fish oil supplements in New Zealand are highly oxidised and do not meet label content of n-3 PUFA

http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150121/srep07928/full/srep07928.html

Published

Key points from this study:

  • Quality and content of fish oil supplements in New Zealand was tested in 32 products available for sale in NZ
  • All encapsulated fish oil supplements marketed in New Zealand were eligible for inclusion.
  • Fatty acid content was measured by gas chromatography.
  • Peroxide values (PV) and anisidine values (AV) were measured, and total oxidation values (Totox) calculated. (These are measures for oxidation i.e. rancidity)
  • Only 3 of 32 fish oil supplements contained quantities of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that were equal or higher than labelled content, with most products tested (69%) containing <67%.
  • The vast majority of supplements exceeded recommended levels of oxidation markers. 83% products exceeded the recommended PV levels, 25% exceeded AV thresholds, and 50% exceeded recommended Totox levels.
  • Only 8% met the international recommendations, not exceeding any of these indices.

Almost all fish oil supplements available in the New Zealand market contain concentrations of EPA and DHA considerably lower than claimed by labels. Importantly, the majority of supplements tested exceeded the recommended indices of oxidative markers. Surprisingly, best-before date, cost, country of origin, and exclusivity were all poor markers of supplement quality.

Here is a graph showing the missing Omega 3 EPA and DHA

This graph shows the oxidation levels in the fish oil capsules. Total oxidation values (Totox) 

 

This is unacceptable. There has been criticism of this study, for example methods of testing oxidation were questioned. You can read more here:

UPDATED: Fish oil capsules fall short on quality, freshness – experts respond

How do you ensure omega 3 fish oil is free from oxidation?

Eating fresh fish is one way to be sure you don't consume omega 3 that is oxidised. The other is to buy fish oil which is tested to a high level, batch tested AFTER it has been encapsulated. This is important, as the process of moving the liquid fish oil into capsules can cause it to become oxidised.

The omega 3 I sell to New Zealanders is Zone OmegaRx2. It is independently tested to the highest standards, and every batch of capsules is tested after it has been encapsulated. It is tested for purity, strength and oxidation levels.

Here links the most recent batches of OmegaRx capsules and oil

https://zonediet.com/omega-3-fish-oil/purity-reports/

Here is a recent test report

OmegaRx 2 can be ordered from our shop.

 

Back to News