Watch your fish oil labels

A quick quiz:

How much omega-3 fatty acids, EPA + DHA, are in each capsule of fish oil with the composition shown on the label below:





If you said 1340 mg (894 mg + 446 mg), sorry, but you're wrong. There are 670 mg EPA + DHA per capsule.

Did you notice that the composition, or "Supplement Facts," lists the contents of two capsules? Rather than the usual one capsule contents, this product label lists two capsules.

I don't know why some manufacturers or distributors do this. However, I have seen many people tripped up by this kind of labeling, taking half the omega-3 fatty acids they thought they were taking. This can be important when you are trying to obtain a specific dose of EPA + DHA to reduce triglycerides, reduce Lp(a), control abnormal heart rhythms, reduce bipolar mood swings, or other important effects.

I liken this to pulling up to a gas station where the sign says gasoline for $1.25. Wow! Can't beat that! You then find out that it's really $1.25 for a half-gallon, or $2.50 a gallon.

In truth, the labeling is accurate; it's just very easy to not notice the two capsule composition.

Comments (36) -

  • Jenny

    12/17/2009 2:43:18 PM |

    The supplement business, completely unregulated, is a magnet for scoundrels. The label is nothing compared to the deceptions they practice in what they put into the capsule and pill. Over and over again lab testing shows the pills either don't contain what you are paying for or contain dangerous contaminants.

    This probably explains why so many studies find that taking vitamin supplements increases mortality in large populations. The toxic load of the pills is probably to blame.

  • jtkeith

    12/17/2009 4:27:25 PM |

    This is a good point, and one I've certainly seen.  

    On a side note, 670mg of EPA/DHA  per capsule is higher than pretty much anything I can find.  500 is more like the upper limit.  Can anyone provide brand guidance about where to find these super potent versions?  

    And another thing I've long wondered is if there are any significant differences between one fish oil and another?  For example, some tout that the fish oil comes from wild salmon, which is better because... ?

  • Dennis

    12/17/2009 6:26:10 PM |

    Interesting article. I have some articles that I've written on fish oil too on my website http://myherbalsupplement.com - I'd love if you checked it out.

  • sdkidsbooks

    12/17/2009 7:27:40 PM |

    Dr. D,

    A bit off this topic, but I was wondering what your thoughts are on the latest research posted yesterday on Crestor.  They are now recommending Crestor for those with normal lipids who have "other" factors for potential heart disease.  It was shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes for those participants. Is this another BIG PHARMA scam?

  • gsbuck

    12/17/2009 8:25:17 PM |

    what would be an eqivilant dose of Flax seed oil if one is currently taking fish oil (2,600IU's of EPA+DEA )

  • Kamila

    12/17/2009 11:11:37 PM |

    I've noticed this too, Dr Davis.  There is some justification with regard to splitting doses in order to make the capsule size more palatable.  But, oftentimes there does appear to be deliberate obfuscation in order to make the purchase price appear more attractive.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/17/2009 11:30:47 PM |

    Gsbuck--

    3 gallons.

    Just kidding. So little of the linolenic acid in flaxseed oil is converted to DHA that it's impossible to raise your blood level of EPA + DHA using flaxseed oil.

    The claims made by some marketers of flaxseed oil as an omega-3 fatty acid source are simply untrue.

    Nonetheless, flaxseed oil is a wonderful oil with benefits all of its own, just not EPA or DHA blood levels.

  • preserve

    12/18/2009 12:59:14 AM |

    "I don't know why some manufacturers or distributors do this."

    Profit optimization / discriminatory pricing.  Charge illiterates a higher price than literates.

  • Hans Schrauwen

    12/18/2009 10:15:14 AM |

    And what about the claims that     Omega3 from algae is just as good ? They claim fish have DHA because they get it from algae anyway, so why not go direct? If nothing else it has less environmental impact, and if cold-subtracted potentially less oxidized :
    http://www.v-pure.com/

    I take it myself and I never have those "fish burps" from it although it tastes exactly like all other fish-oils.

  • Rob

    12/18/2009 3:47:57 PM |

    I've only recently started following your blog and I dunno if this is the most appropriate place to ask, but what (generally speaking) would be a recommended daily EPA/DHA (or total Omega-3) dosage?

    I've been taking a krill oil supplement for several months, but the dosage is a fraction of that offered by the capsule you used for an example in this post.  So that makes me wonder if I'm taking enough of the supplement to even make a real difference.

  • Carolyn Thomas

    12/18/2009 5:47:20 PM |

    This helps to explain my pet peeves about the supplement industry - as Jenny says, it's a completely unregulated industry.

    In fact, there is no legal requirement for what's listed on the label to even match what's actually inside the capsule.  As long as manufacturers don't claim to 'cure disease', they can pretty well say what they like, at least until proposed industry regulation hits in the next two years - unless the industry's very powerful lobby groups are successful in squashing regulation, as they are of course trying to do.

  • Anonymous

    12/19/2009 1:25:49 AM |

    How can one enjoy raw Almonds and Hazelnuts (my fave) without overdosing on Omega 6?

    Also, any thoughts on whether monocytes reflect too much Omega 6?  I read something on this by Dr. Glen Aukerman regarding lipomas.  He claims lipomas and uterine fibroids are caused by excessive Omega 6 and recommends no nuts at all, no flaxseed, no poultry.  My monocytes tested at 10 which was not flagged as abnormal -- he claims 3.5 is ideal.  I have lipomas and fibroids. My CRP is so low it does not register and ESR was zero. I've never heard this monocyte theory before.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/19/2009 1:32:47 AM |

    The key with nutritional supplements is to be an informed consumer.

    The WRONG response is: Because I can't always trust the supplement manufacturers, I'll turn to prescription agents (like prescription fish oil).

    I'd personally only turn in the direction of prescription fish oil if I were interested in STICKING IT TO MY FELLOW HEALTHCARE CONSUMERS! I am not, so I prefer that we all educate ourselves on what preparations are reliable and safe.

  • Anonymous

    12/19/2009 2:57:36 AM |

    Dear Author heartscanblog.blogspot.com !
    Clearly, I thank for the help in this question.

  • Healthy Oil Planet.com

    12/19/2009 5:26:49 PM |

    It's really important to look closely at the labels to determine exactly how much ingredient you're getting per dose.  The same applies to food labels as these can be misleading if one doesn't analyze the label closely.

  • homertobias

    12/20/2009 7:44:57 PM |

    Dr Davis

    It is worse than that.  Alot of brands, (Costco is the worst), not only trip you up on serving size but also do the following: Total omega 3: (including DHA/EPA) 375mg.
    So how much DHA/EPA here?  Who knows!  When you look down at the ingredients you will find anchovies, Vit E, and SOY.  Which is cheaper, anchovies or ALA from soy.  And who knows how much Omega 6.

  • Anonymous

    12/20/2009 9:23:45 PM |

    Also be on the lookout for labels that don't mention the EPA/DHA ratios. I've seen some cheaper brands just list 'Omega 3s', with no breakdown.  And if interested in form used (ethyl ester vs triglyceride) you'll have to read the label closely too -- but quite often this isn't even mentioned.

    Although that leads to another point: what is the optimal EPA/DHA ratio as far as reducing heart disease risks?  I don't think this has really been studied that closely.

  • Mindscaper

    12/21/2009 6:00:22 PM |

    I read so much on nutritional interventions for CHD and atherosclerosis that I sometimes lose the source of my information. Sorry if this is the wrong attribution but I think it was Art Ayers (might have been Stephen Guyenet) who blogged about the dangers of using fish oil as a source of Omega 3s. One caveat is that  fish oil oxidizes very easily on the shelf and is likely to also do so in the warm temperatures within the body--therefore it could contribute to inflammation rather than prevent it. If this is true, it is a serious consideration for those who already have atherosclerosis and are attempting to reverse it by using anti-inflammatory foods and supplements. What do you think about this? Should we be getting our omega 3s and 6s from other sources? If so, which?

    I also wonder about disturbing the appropriate balance of omega 3s and 6s by eating either walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds daily to help eliminate excessive plaque. So many conflicting ideas--what is one to believe and do?

    Thanks for all the information you generously provide.

  • Judy B

    12/22/2009 2:00:31 AM |

    Is there a search function on this site?

  • Mindscaper

    12/23/2009 3:05:39 AM |

    Ted, Thanks very much for your detailed and informative post. I intend to follow-up by reading your suggested list. Your post is very helpful in clearing up some confusion I was experiencing.Just rereading Stephan's posts go a long way to solidify my understanding of inflammatory processes resulting from chronic overindulgence in excess omega 6s, refined carbs,etc. Ironically, I have been conscientiously attempting to follow the best advice and practices concerning CVD since my father died in the 1970s at the age of 48 after 2 heart attacks and a series of strokes.

    Unfortunately, it turns out that the "best advice" was almost all certainly wrong and in some cases fraudulent. I succumbed to the very disease I thought I was avoiding by my "healthy" lifestyle. The best thing I had going for me had been a  complete  avoidance of doctors until my totally unexpected heart attack last year. At that point my life was saved by Western medicine but I was literally hijacked by the medical system. Because I had insurance I was given an unnecessary $17,000 helicopter ride, two angioplasty procedures, a week's confinement in a hospital and 4 stents--(one of them to replace a botched procedure that caused a vessel dissection). Subsequently, I was placed on statins,plavix, ace inhibitors, and beta blockers for at least a year.

    My intent is to get off of these as soon as possible and to that end I'm seeing an integrative medicine D.O. at the University of Maryland in addition to my cardiologist. She is supportive of my anti-inflammatory diet, antioxidents, vitamin D3  and amino acids, Q-10, and  NO enhancers. I've made her my primary care doctor so she can help me communicate with my cardiologist who I overheard saying (while I was being wheeled in on a gurney "here's a person who should never eat another egg for the rest of her life". How can these MD's be so indoctrinated and misinformed? It is mind-boggling to me. However, once a captive within the system it is extremely difficult to extracate oneself. I was told before I left the hospital that if I missed one dose of Plavix I could cause a clot to form and could die. I was not told that there are other natural platelet anticoagulants that work very well. I was also told that it is virtually impossible to reverse atherosclerosis by nutracueticals and lifestyle changes. It has been an eye opening process to learn differently from doing my own research.
    Again. . . thanks for the information. It will keep me busy for the next little while. Cee

  • Adolfo David

    12/23/2009 6:40:02 AM |

    Dear Dr Davis, I have seen some people criticize your TC scan program because of this might increase cancer risk. So I believe you may be interested in an opposite view, since low dose radiation can be healthy and good based on the phenomenon of hormesis – "a dose response phenomenon whereby a substance that in a high dose inhibits, or is toxic to, a biological process will, in a much smaller dose, stimulate (or protect) that same process."

    CT Scans May Reduce Rather than
    Increase the Risk of Cancer
    http://www.jpands.org/vol13no1/scott.pdf

  • TedHutchinson

    12/25/2009 1:47:43 PM |

    @ Judy B
    If you go to the Heartscanblog home page you will find on the left hand side of the black bar at the very top of the page, a searchbox.

    But that only searches Dr Davis blogs.
    It doesn't search the comments.
    Some of the readers here are very informed and often there are interesting points raised in the comments that add to the valuable information in the blog.
    So to search the blog and the comments I use
    Google advanced search and enter the Heartscanblog URL
    http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
    in the search filter box
    Search within a site or domain:

    If you are searching for a post or comment that was recent then select an option from the
    Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more filter menu.

    To speed up searching through the results for the information you want then using you keyboard keys
    Ctrl F brings up a new searchbox, enter the word/phrase you are looking for in this box and then you can quickly skim through each of the occasions that word/phrase appears here.

  • bestrate

    1/4/2010 6:53:02 PM |

    Regarding Rob's question (way up at the top) about fish oil dosages, I too have been wondering about that.  I did find a very fascinating compilation summarizing the opinions of experts on proper dosages which I have bookmarked at (see http://www.buy-fish-oil.com/how-much-fish-oil-dosage-per-day-should-i-take/ )  It was particularly instructive to learn how fish oil has been used in extreme cases of brain failure, heart failure, kidney failure and liver failure such as the treatment and remarkable recovery of the coal miner who survived the Sago mine disaster.  Fascinating.

  • Health Test Dummy

    1/13/2010 7:41:20 PM |

    I recently bought one out of necessity. It has Caramel Coloring added!!!! CARAMEL COLORING???!!!!

    I am indeed perturbed.

  • Anonymous

    1/26/2010 1:36:39 PM |

    "The supplement business, completely unregulated, is a magnet for scoundrels. The label is nothing compared to the deceptions they practice in what they put into the capsule and pill. Over and over again lab testing shows the pills either don't contain what you are paying for or contain dangerous contaminants."

    As a recent subscriber to http://www.consumerlab.com/ I find that for the most part supplements have in them what they claim...and are free of contaminants.  You COULD generally buy supplements from certain dependable sources and be safe doing so.  I don't work in the industry.

  • Term papers

    1/26/2010 3:42:22 PM |

    I notice that the composition, or "Supplement Facts," lists the contents of two capsules Rather than the usual one capsule contents, this product label lists two capsules.

  • Marek Doyle

    2/6/2010 9:23:22 PM |

    Definitely worth buying a good quality fish oil supplement from a manufacturer you trust - and, ate least, taste the oil thats in your capsule before gobbling them down.

    Reference gsbuck's question above, it is difficult to create an exact equivalent between fish oils and flaxseed oils because of the way they are handled in the body. Flaxseed provides a lot of ALA, a plant omega-3s, which needs to be converted in the body into EPA/DHA, the 'active' omega 3s. In healthy people, around 16% of ALA is converted into EPA/DHA. So if you take 10g flaxseed oil, thats 8000mg of ALA, converts to 1280mg EPA/DHA. This is what you would find in around 4 grams of normal fish oil. But... older people, those with chronic disease, those with nutritional deficiency, etc, will never convert very effectively and require fish oils.

    I have discussed the benefits of fish oils vs flaxseed oil here.

  • Anonymous

    2/10/2010 6:04:09 AM |

    nice post. thanks.

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  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 7:33:52 PM |

    I don't know why some manufacturers or distributors do this. However, I have seen many people tripped up by this kind of labeling, taking half the omega-3 fatty acids they thought they were taking. This can be important when you are trying to obtain a specific dose of EPA + DHA to reduce triglycerides, reduce Lp(a), control abnormal heart rhythms, reduce bipolar mood swings, or other important effects.

  • Serdna

    2/14/2011 10:01:50 AM |

    Well, it seems to me that this is the label of the fish oil I consume. Maybe I am a little naive, but I just interpreted this label as a strong recommendation to take 2 softgels a day at a minimum and that they would have done a twice greater softgel if it could still be swallowed.

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