Linda is our resident health and wellness editor. As a long time health and nutrition enthusiast, she spends her time researching scientific studies and keeping up with the latest health and wellness trends to provide top nutrition tips.
In the world of health supplements, omega-3 fish oil reigns supreme. Its success isn't a mystery either. Nutritional experts and health care professionals have been preaching about omega-3s for decades, and for good reason— it has a ton of health benefits!
If there's one thing you learn from this article, it should be that you have to be very careful when purchasing omega 3 fish oil.
Most brands on the market are simply full of cheap "filler" oil that will bring you zero benefits, yet will claim "1000mg" on the front of their labels to trick you. Keep reading to find out how to spot & avoid this, and which brands of fish oil you can actually trust to bring you incredible health benefits.
The truth about the fish oil category is that 90% of the top product listings on the major websites above are misleading, overpriced, and have not met quality standards.
The benefits from Omega-3 supplements can go on and on. It really is one of those supplements that if you take a quality product, it really does work. It will improve your quality of life and general health dramatically.
The Amazing Health Benefits Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Promotes Brain Health (even during pregnancy)
- Improves Bone & Joint Health
- Supports Heart Health
- Fights Inflammation
- Strengthens The Immune System
- Improves Eye Health
- Improves Sleep
- Fights Depression and Anxiety
- Improves Eye Health
- Skin Health Benefits
Taking fish oil is a very simple process. With most brands, all you need are 2 soft gels per day. You can simply swallow the soft gels with water or another drink and don’t need to dissolve them in anything.
Below, we will explore how the different types of omega-3 oils, how you can benefit by taking them, and which are the best fish oil supplements available on the market.
What Are The Different Types of Omega-3 Acids?
There are 3 main types of Omega-3 Acids:
ALA - Alpha-Linolenic Acid - Supplied in dark green vegetables, walnuts, flax seeds, & plant foods.
EPA - Eicosapentaenoic Acid - found in fish, fish oils, squid oils, krill oils, and certain algae. Most humans are commonly deficient in EPA and it is incredibly advantageous for our health.
DHA - Docosahexaenoic Acid - also found in fish, fish oils, squid oils, krill oils, and certain algae. Most humans are commonly deficient in DHA and it is incredibly advantageous for our health.
EPA & DHA are what you're after from a great fish oil supplement. Sadly most of the UK's most popular brands put useless filler oil in their supplements and no the EPA/DHA which actually bring you the benefits.
The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Buying Fish Oils
Front-label claims
Many brands claim that their product is "high strength" or contains "1000mg" on their label when, in fact, their product is very low potency. This is because the majority of their formula consists of weak, non-beneficial filler oil that will have very little impact on your health. Sometimes you need to be wary of popular brands because many of them rely on misleading advertising to make a sale. If you choose products based on the brand’s popularity, it’s likely you could get stuck with very low-quality fish oil.
Not having enough EPA/DHA
The part of fish oil that gives you the benefits you're after is EPA & DHA. These are the values that you should be looking at. Many popular brands do not have the adequate % EPA/DHA ratio to really ensure that you get enough of it per serving.
Priced Too Low
This is the number one way to spot a terrible fish oil. High quality, sustainable fish oil packed full of EPA/DHA that will really bring you benefits isn't going to be found for only £7 at your local supermarket. That being said, in our opinion, fish oil is one of the supplements that's really worth spending money on a high quality product. A great fish oil can significantly improve your health.
Omega 3-6-9 Supplements
Many brands will try and convince you to purchase an omega 3-6-9 supplement. However what they don't tell you is that you likely already have enough omega 6 and omega 9 oils from your food. It is essentially a glorified marketing ploy. EPA & DHA are what you need to be looking for, and those are found in high quality omega-3 fish oils.
There are numerous omega-3 supplements you can take to improve your health, however, the only real way to reap the benefits from them is to choose the right one. Keep reading to see our picks for the top 5 best omega-3 supplements on the market.
Beware of online reviews (especially on Amazon)
Before purchasing any product, one of the first things we do when researching it is check its online reviews. Unfortunately, these are not always a trustworthy way to measure the quality and effectiveness of a product. Companies often pay for reviews on popular online retailers, like Amazon, to try and trick their way to a five star rating. While you should definitely consult these reviews before purchasing, do your own research as well.
How we evaluated the top 5
Over the last few years, the demand for omega 3 fish oil supplements has surged as scientists and researchers continue to discover their many health benefits. While this means you have many options to consider when choosing your supplement, it can also be difficult to narrow down which ones will deliver the best results.
We researched the top rated fish oils on the internet to find the best ones available on the market and evaluated them based on product quality, customer service, and pricing.
Here are our top 5 omega 3 fish oil picks for 2022.
