3 Reasons You’ve Been Wasting Your Money on Fish Oil and How to Spot Them

Updated: December 15, 2023

Omega 3s

I’m sorry to burst your bubble…

but if you are taking fish oil …you’re probably wasting your money.

Now, I’m not saying that fish oil itself isn’t beneficial, because it is. Omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for combating many diseases and health conditions.

What I’m trying to say is that many of the most popular fish oils on the market right now are not going to have ANY positive effect on your health.

That’s right. Zero benefit.

You see, fish oil is BIGGGG business. Whenever there is big competition with a commodity like fish oil has become, hundreds of brands compete on price. And price wars lead to cutting corners to make an even cheaper product. Today the norm is fish oil capsules with low amounts of EPA and DHA, and oil that has already started oxidizing. Then they try to fix it by over processing it into low absorption forms like ethyl ester types – like the one you may be taking every day.

On top of that you are most likely taking a daily dose that is shown to be ineffective!

Read on and get the health altering facts:

3 Reasons You’ve Been Wasting Your Money on Fish Oil …and How to Spot the Bad Stuff

  1. Your fish oil is not providing you with clinical doses of EPA and DHA, the essential part of the oil. You see, the typical fish oil capsule contains 1000 mg of oil, but only 300-600 mg of omega 3’s. That’s an issue because the latest science shows that to experience the benefits shown in study after study for heart health, brain health, melting fat, digestive health, and other anti-inflammatory benefits, you need MANY TIMES MORE than is found in most fish oil or cod liver oil capheart-failure-new-chapter-bone-supplements-for-bone-healthsules. To put it in perspective, if you wanted to increase your omega 3 levels to where your heart, brain etc. would benefit you would need to be taking 2 grams per day of EPA and DHA. Now understand, 2 grams of EPA/DHA is different from 2 grams of fish oil. Putting it in terms you may relate to, it is like 6 to 8 capsules/day of typical big box store fish oil. Or it would mean eating cold water oily fish twice a day, every day! You may have seen headlines proclaiming fish oil is not effective for heart disease? Two large studies have both shown that fish oil which is at the typical dosage (the 300-600 mg of omega 3’s in most fish oil) does absolutely nothing.
  2. The second reason your fish oil isn’t working is that it may be rancid. Fish oil becomes oxidized turning it rancid very quickly. If you are experiencing fishy burps or indigestion from your fish oil product, throw it in the trash right now. It is doing more harm than good because instead of reducing cellular aging it can increase it. Some companies have been trying to get around the fish burps by enteric coating their capsules – so that they pass through your stomach and only open up in the intestinal tract. That way you don’t notice that you’re taking rancid oil.
  3. The third reason your fish oil may not be helping you is companies that market fish oil are exploiting a labeling loophole. They’re not required to label what form their fish oil is in, whether their fish oil is in what’s called ethyl ester or triglyceride form. Ethyl ester fish oil has been more processed and less natural – and just like any other processed food – natural is always better.

You see, fish oil in its natural triglyceride form is a full 70% more absorbable by your body than fish oil in ethyl ester form. It’s far less likely to go bad, and you can take it on an empty stomach without affecting absorbability. As a result, your body is not getting fish oil’s full benefits.

Unfortunately you end up paying for product that has no noticeable impact on your health.

As you know, we have been recommending taking fish oil since 2006, to support healthy bone development – but we have never recommended any particular brand. Dissatisfied and confused by the choices on the market, you have been asking us to make a fish oil product that is trustworthy and guaranteed to support your health. I can’t tell you what our decision is at this point, but I will say to keep reading this newsletter – something amazing may just be around the corner. Did I mention the word “AMAZING”?

[Update: I am so excited to be able to announce our newest product: Triple Power Omega 3 Fish Oil with added USDA certified turmeric curcumin and natural astaxanthin. For more information on this product and its TRIPLE GUARANTEE, click here.]

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This article features advice from our industry experts to give you the best possible info through cutting-edge research.

Lara Pizzorno
MDiv, MA, LMT - Best-selling author of Healthy Bones Healthy You! and Your Bones; Editor of Longevity Medicine Review, and Senior Medical Editor for Integrative Medicine Advisors.,
Dr. Liz Lipski
PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMP, BCHN, LDN - Professor and Director of Academic Development, Nutrition programs in Clinical Nutrition at Maryland University of Integrative Health.,
Dr. Loren Fishman
MD, B.Phil.,(oxon.) - Medical Director of Manhattan Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Founder of the Yoga Injury Prevention Website.,
Prof. Didier Hans
PHD, MBA - Head of Research & Development Center of Bone Diseases, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Switzerland,