3 "Fishy" Myths About Fish Oil Supplements, From A Nutrition Scientist

Our director of scientific affairs and in-house nutritionist Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, has quickly become our resident myth-buster for nutrition matters. From multivitamin red flags to the vitamin D mistakes that make her cringe, she's always game to pull back the curtain on the vast, confusing world of supplements. Today is no different: On this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, Ferira gives us the scoop on all things omega-3s. 

Below, she explains the "fishiest" things she hears about omega-3 fish oil supplements: 

"One of the most common myths I hear is, 'I don't like fish oil, because it's fishy,'" says Ferira. Of course, everyone has different flavor preferences, but according to Ferira, your fish oil actually shouldn't smell or taste off. "If your fish oil smells funny—fishy, sour, or it's very yellow—these are signs of bad purity," she says. "It's a sign of oxidation." Similar to how the olive oil in your kitchen can go rancid—your fish oil can lose its freshness too. 

See, a lot of brands will actually feature or "spike" their products with cheaper, lower-quality types of fish oils—and these lower-quality oils have higher oxidation and contaminant levels, says Ferira. "[Some brands] will brag about having salmon or some expensive-sounding fish, but, in fact, they're spiking it with lower-quality and less expensive fishes," she notes. "It is common." 

The oils have the potential to go rancid during the production and transportation (i.e., global shipment) processes as well—say, if a brand sources fish oil from all over the world, letting it sit on a hot ship for months before finally formulating it into a product. "There's a lot of potential for oxidation and reduced shelf life," says Ferira. 

In contrast, the pure anchovy oil in our omega-3 potency+ is what we call, "from catch to capsule." Says Ferira, after these cold-water, sustainably sourced fish are wild-caught in the South Pacific, the state-of-the-art facility in Chile uses 100% solar energy to extract the oil in its purest and most bioavailable triglyceride form, then it heads straight to the U.S. (i.e., minimizing its carbon footprint) to be encapsulated in our tilapia softgel. The result? A clear, slightly yellow omega-3 supplement with industry-leading purity that never tastes or smells fishy. 

"The second most common thing I hear about fish oil is, 'It makes me burp,'" says Ferira. "Fish oil shouldn't make you burp…that's not a good sign of the quality of the oil." Of course, people can still be prone to burp for a number of physiologic reasons—if you do belch, you definitely don't want your burp to taste fishy.

This broad recommendation for the general population comes from the American Heart Association1, and it took off years ago (like two decades ago). "If you eat two servings of fish per week, the EPA and DHA are tied to cardiovascular protection,"* says Ferira. And two servings of fish a week delivers roughly 500 milligrams of EPA + DHA daily—but this is actually just the starting point. "That is your baseline; it's not the goal" for optimal health.*

In fact, research suggests that 1,000 milligrams (aka 1 gram) and up of EPA and DHA per day2 offer proportionately greater heart-health benefits.* Ferira puts it this way: "So a gram-plus confers incremental additional benefits for cardiometabolic health."* (And if you're wondering, our omega-3 potency+ lives up to its name, delivers a whopping 1.5 grams of marine omega-3s EPA + DHA in each serving, just two gelcaps.)

If you're in the market for an omega-3 supplement, be aware of these pervasive fish oil myths. The first step when choosing a high-quality supplement, after all, is weeding out the not-so-stellar players.

Enjoy this episode! And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music!