Omega-3 from V-Pure algae, not fish or flax

Being a vegetarian can be complicated. Fish oil is the best source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which confer important benefits to the heart, brain, eyes, and other body parts/functions.

But I don’t like the idea of eating a once swimming life form (though my wife points out that I take a joint supplement, Celadrin, which contains an ingredient that once was part of a cow).

So I’ve been searching for a karma-lite way to get my Omega 3’s. Several years ago I started taking a couple of flax oil capsules every day. I’ve also tried frozen waffles with hemp seed, which are legal again after the failure of an ill-considered federal attempt to ban hemp products..

Flax is one of the best vegetarian sources of Omega 3. However, it’s still a long ways from matching fish oil. It seems that flax has lots of ALA (alpha-linoleic acid). This is a parental fatty acid that gets converted into the children of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).

DHA and EPA are the truly beneficial Omega 3’s. So if ALA doesn’t get converted into them, eating gobs of flax oil or flax seed isn’t going to accomplish much. And from what I’ve been able to fathom (more knowledgeable readers, please correct me), a number of factors prevent vegetarian ALA from being converted into DHA and EPA.

Thus I’ve also been taking Source Naturals’ Neuromins DHA, which comes from algae. It’s billed as a “dietary supplement for the brain,” so I try to never forget to ingest two 100 mg capsules a day. That way I know how much DHA I’m getting, 200 mg—a bit more than my wife gets from her three Eskimo-3 fish oil capsules (130 mg).

Yet Laurel’s fish oil supplement has 210 mg of EPA and I’m batting zero. I’m no expert on the relative value of EPA and DHA, but the couple who wrote “The A-Z’s of Omega 3s” obviously have done a lot of research. They say:

Ralph Holman from the University of Minnesota and the Grand Master of essential fatty acid studies in humans, once summed up the situation by saying 'DHA is structure, EPA is function.'"

Well, I’d like my brain to have both structure and function. So it’s been bothering me that I couldn’t find a vegetarian source of EPA. Earlier this month I embarked on a search for this non-fishy Omega 3 Holy Grail. Thanks to Google, I believe I succeeded.

A few days ago two bottles of V-Pure Omega 3 arrived in the mail from Switzerland. It isn’t sold in the United States so far, to my knowledge. V-Pure is derived from algae by some sort of secret process that the makers are coy about, supposedly to protect their patent.

That makes me a bit wary. However, the bottles I received say that two capsules a day provide 75 mg of EPA and 270 mg of DHA (a lot less EPA than fish oil, but a lot more than nothing). Maybe I’m overly trusting of the European Union and Swiss manufacturing, but I’m taking them at their word.

With just three days of this supplement in my system my brain doesn’t seem to be functioning noticeably differently than before. I do seem to have a clearer view of the world, but that’s probably because I haven’t been watching much Fox News over the Christmas weekend.

So I recommend that vegetarians looking for a good non-fish Omega 3 source check out V-Pure. It’s kind of cool to order from a European web site (they have a currency converter) and I got my order in a shade under three weeks.

I’m skeptical that this product is going to change the world like the maker says. But if it changes my brain and heart for the better, it’s worth the charge to my VISA card.

[Update: thanks to a comment from ET, I was led to this additional information about the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids and the need to reduce your Omega 6 intake to derive maximum benefit from the "3s."]

Comments

[edison]

Thank you, Brian!

[ET]

Brian, you have struck on a very important health consideration. I have looked into this matter in some detail and recommend that you remain skeptical of this product until you have looked further in detail as it can actual harm your body rather than help it.

The omega 3 is an essential fatty acid but it needs to be taken with a sufurated protein, i.e. quark or cottage cheese in the right ratio ( 1:2) that is 1 TBS flax seed oil with 2 TBS organic cottage cheese mixed together to form a symplex .

Please take a moment to read about Dr. Budwig (nominated 7 times for the Nobel prize) and her discovery regarding the omega 3 EFA.

http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/budwig_protocol.html

ET

[Roger]

ET

Could you explain the role of cottage cheese has, when mixed with TBS flax seed oil?

In addition, I could not find a definition for the word: Symplex.

Thanks for any additional info.....
Roger

[ET]

Roger, when cottage cheese is blended correctly with flax seed oil it forms what I call a symplex, or below a "new foodstuff". The role of cottage cheese (CC) is more clearly explained below as I obtained it from:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/FlaxSeedOil2/message/24690

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>…

First you must understand what an 'emulsion' is. There are 2 varieties:

1) oil in water emulsion
2) water in oil emulsion.

The [flax seed oil cottage cheese combination] FO/CC is an example of the first type. This is where an oily substance (FO) is incorporated into a larger amount of a watery (or 'hydrophilic') vehicle [CC]. The product formed has the oil 'in tact' but retains the physical properties of the watery carrier, i.e. it is water-soluble and can be carried in a watery environment (blood stream) - this is how things like cholesterol are moved along in the blood stream - cholesterol is bound to water-soluble carrier proteins-LDL or HDL or Lipoprotein-A -it can't be "in the blood by itself" – The same thing with FO or any other oil for that matter.

Therefore, when we ingest oils, they must be emulsified before they can enter the blood stream. The body does this by secreting bile salts or acids which allow the oily "stuff" to be mixable with the watery contents in the intestine (these homogeneous mixtures or partially digested foodstuffs are called 'chyme'). Now, digestive enzymes (lipases) can work on the emulsified oils and break them down into triglycerides and free fatty acids which can be absorbed through the intestinal wall.

When we make our emulsion [blending flax seed oil and cottage cheese in the correct 1:2 ratio] we do a couple of important things:

1) we protect the peptide bonds between the individuals amino acids that make up the proteins in the CC. A peptide bond is relatively weak and an acidic environment - like the stomach - will cleave these apart. Plus, we have strong proteolytic enzymes in the stomach too, pepsin and some others, this is why we can't take "protein-drugs", like insulin, orally - they will be digested in the stomach. …... So by protecting these proteins from digestion, via the emulsification process, we have in essence created a [symplex] 'new foodstuff'.

2) once in the intestine this FO/CC [symplex] doesn't get digested like one would expect oils to. The bonding sites for the bile acids are "tied-up" with the sulfhydral groups of the CC protein, and because this [symplex] is already water-soluble, it can be absorbed, as is, [directly] across the intestinal wall.

What we have done is in fact pretty amazing: we have gotten an 'in tact' oil, with all its precious electrons and double bonds "unmolested" into the bloodstream. Now the FO [omega-3 EFA] can enter into the cell membranes (after special enzymes cleave off the sulfhydral groups), displace the bad oils (or pseudo-fats as Dr. Budwig calls them) and set-up a properly functioning membrane that "sucks" oxygen into the cells (among other things).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hope this is not confusing or too much of an explanation to your short question.

ET

[Roger]

ET

Thanks for your detailed reply. I'm guessing, that it is very important that the Symplex emulsion be properly prepared.
All emulsions eventually break, therefore, I'm guessing, a blender at some high speed is required to mix the two ingredients.

I really enjoyed your final paragraph, where you stated, "What we have done is in fact pretty amazing."

It is amazing, as described in the literature; The supply of electrons, and their role in reducing free radicals.

As part of their normal function, cells make toxic molecules called free radicals. A free radical is a damaged molecule - that is, it is missing an electron. Because the free radical wants its full complement of electrons, it reacts with other molecules and in so doing, steals an electron from them. This leads to damage to cells which may in turn lead to serious chronic diseases. The symplex emulsion, plays a role by donating electrons to stabilize and, in effect, neutralize the harmful effects of the free radicals.

Finally, if you personally have prepared the symplex emulsion, I would love to learn more from any observations you may have
obtained.

Best wishes to you,
Roger

[James]

Thanks for the great review of this product! I'm a vegetarian as well now for many years. Before I became a vegetarian I used to take fish oil with DHA and EPA but I then stopped. This was the one part I regretted but of course due to ethical reasons I could never eat meat or fish! I started taking flax seed oil but of course as we know, the ALA does not convert in adequate amounts to DHA or EPA.

A few months ago I found a product named O-Mega-Zen3 which is sold in the US, and is a vegan source for DHA. They have 300mg in each capsule. Today I got to researching O-Mega-Zen3 to find out how they produced the DHA and found a wide range of info on PubMed regarding the algal source which they use. There is a parent company named Martek which produces "life'sDHA", which they sell to many companies including the one which makes O-Mega-Zen3. I would guess that the DHA in your Neuromins is also made by Martek.

Additionally I came across this site: http://www.acnfp.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/60694
which details the EU's acceptance process for the vegan DHA source. I imagine there should be some similar process in effect for the vegetarian DHA/EPA in V-Pure Omega 3. I'll be looking for that as I am very interested in obtaining a vegetarian EPA source as well.

Thanks again for the blog post, it was very informative.

[Roger]

What about Walnuts?

It has been stated, "Walnuts have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids as compared to other nuts."

Is the conversion issue to DHA/EPA the same for Walnuts too?

[Adam Chavez]

Very interesting comments.

I have some of my own. WARNING: This won't help with the vegetarian question...(however, I will cite an excellent article on a food found in the sea which has 8 times more digestible protein than beef and 10 times more calcium than milk, every B vitamin including B12 AND it has antioxidants like you wouldn't believe. AND it's cheap because it's totally natural. It's all over the ocean! I'll post a link to that article at the very bottom of this post. Onto Omega 3...

First, the dosages mentioned above will not produce the outcome that you are looking for. 200-300 mg of DHA is a drop in the bucket. And according to many of the scientists I have read, DHA can be kept by the body for years. EPA on the other hand goes through the body more quickly - almost daily - thus the need for EPA supplements and the less pressing need for DHA. (If the body already has a store of DHA then supplements can only do so much good).

According to Dr. Andrew Stoll, Harvard Medical School Faculty and the Director of Psychopharmocology Research Lab at McLean Hospital "1.5 - 4 grams of EPA...[is desired] per day."

Note about Andrew Stoll (He has devoted his career to finding a cure for bi-polar. Him and his colleagues basically stumbled onto Omega 3's...he since has become an authority on Omega 3's as he has seen hundreds of his own patients benefit from its use).

The Saturday Evening Post interviewed Dr. Andrew Stoll in May of 2005. Here is an excerpt from that interview found at

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1189/is_3_277/ai_n13684165

Pay attention to the distinction Dr. Stoll makes between DHA and EPA.

Post: Do omega-3 fatty acids continue to demonstrate mood-stabilizing benefits?

Dr. Stoll: No one has replicated the findings of our original study as yet. The real story now is that there are now numerous positive studies on the benefits of omega-3 in unipolar depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, and Huntington's disease. It seems that many disorders respond to omega-3s. Three of the four studies in depression used EPA, or EPA plus DHA, and they worked. The fourth study used pure DHA--important for developing babies, pregnant women, and nursing mothers--and it failed. People hold onto stores of DHA for a long time, so you don't need to replenish levels as often as with EPA, which is turned over constantly, by conversion into eicosanoid hormones.

Post: Are you continuing your research into the relationship between fats and mental health, particularly omega-3 fish oils in bipolar disorder?

Dr. Stoll: Yes. We published the results of our first bipolar study, and the results were very promising. We went out on a limb to do this study with no funding and with colleagues sometimes ridiculing us. But the study was logical and rational, and patients, as well as informed and open-minded physicians, liked the approach. We tried it randomly and it worked. The same pathways are activated during bipolar disorder and depression, so EPA may perform the anti-inflammatory action.

Those are my thoughts!

Thanks for reading. Here is the link I promised to the free e-book on that super food I mentioned at the very beginning.

http://www.truthpublishing.com/chlorellaspirulina_p/pdf-cat21249.htm

Adam Chavez
[email protected]

[David K]

This is an old post i'm responding to, but i'm curious if you have learned anything more about this product. i recently started buying it myself for the same reasons you did. Have you found any additional information about the V-Pure?

[Brian]

David, I don't know any more about it. I've continued to use it, preferring not to imbibe fish oil into my long-time vegetarian body.

Whether the V-Pure is doing me any good, that's another question. I figure that the cost is worth the potential benefit, and it's very unlikely that the stuff is doing me any harm.

[Lucas Brazil]

Whats the best omega 3 oil for depression? Any brand or dosage?
Thanks very much

[Chris]

I know this is a very old post, but I just wondered if anyone has found out any more about V-Pure or got any more news to add about it please? I can understand why the makers are secretive about it, but it just makes me more wary of it because of that. I would like to take it, but I don't want to take anything if it may harm me.

[Johnny]

Opti3 was launched earlier this year. It is better than V Pure as it contains more omega 3. The website is full of useful information.

Chris - I recommend you visit www.opti3omega.com. I tried getting info from V Pure and they never get back in touch. Opti3 do and the website is helpful.

My local health shop has Opti3 on the shelves, which makes my life easier :-)

Btw - could just be me, but I feel the best I have in years since taking Opti3. Happy, active, alert, sleeping well.

[Nikki]

Hi,

i am based in UK, also had problems with delivery from V Pure, time and time again they are late or out of stock. I am just pleased there is an alternative veg omega 3 product available now, as i use for my family, i have not used Opti3 yet but i will.
Nikki

[Marie]

Same messages on different sites... "Opti3 is a much better and stronger product than V-Pure etc. etc." You find them on several forums and websites - guess someone from Opti3 is trying hard to sell their new product... Take a look at the labels of the two products - isn't Opti3 half the dose of DHA and cheaper? There are some things about opti3 that I think is better than Vpure, but I don't like these fake posts.

[Marie]

Sorry I meant "isn't Opti3 HALF the dose of DHA and MORE expensive than Vpure"...

I hope someone will comment on these two products (or other similar products) because I really need to find a good DHA + EPA supplement suitable for vegetarians - I live in Europe and it is impossible to buy things from the US. Thanks - great site btw!

[Johnny]

Hey Marie,

I can assure you I don't work for Opti3. I'm real :-)

Re. dose, you are right but in Europe 200mg DHA is the legal maximum, according to Opti3 that is why they stick at that dose.

J

[Dr Andrew Clark]

Marie, I'm a Nutritionist based in London.

Opti3, VPure and several other brands were featured and discussed on a radio programme a couple of weeks ago, where dosage was one of the major topics.

Johnny is correct that 200mg DHA is the maximum permitted level in EU. The safety approval body (novel foods leg) is not currently satisfied of proven safety of higher doses.

Some of my clients use VPure and some are using Opti3. VPure has a higher DHA level with Opti3 having a higher total Omega 3 level. I believe this aspect has probably caused confusion and discussion on blogs etc. Like for like, I would say they are about the same but the VPure product could not be legally sold in EU as things stands (doesn't stop online sales as far as I know).

I hope this helps.

Andrew

[Reeta]

Though I had been a vegetarian all my life, I turned a vegan 3 years back (as I realised that one of the main source of cholesterol for vegetarians is from dairy products).

Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. is one of the few doctors in the world who has 100% success rate in treating heart disease. Dr Esselstyn states that if an individual wants to stay heart disease free for his/her entire life, he/she should not even have a drop of oil in daily diet (as even a drop of oil may irritate/damage endothelium - please check the link heartattackproof.com).

I am based in the UK and there are many products in the market which do not have oil as an ingredient (e.g. I have Oatly Organic milk in the morning which does not have oil listed as an ingredient. If anyone wants, I would be happy to send him/her a list of products available without oil as an ingredient. I must clarify I was perfectly healthy even when I was a vegetarian but agreed with the suggestions of Dr Esselstyn as I would like to remain heart disease free for life (I also agree with suggestions made in another book 'The China study' which advocates a vegan diet).

I used to have O-mega-Zen3 earlier but from the last 3 years following Dr Esselstyn's advice (totally oil free diet) just have 1-2 tsp. of flaxseed meal as well as a handful of walnuts as a source of omega so add flaxseed meal and walnuts to my breakfast of rolled oats every morning.

[Troy]

Reeta - I've never heard so much rubbish if I'm honest.

Marie - I notice if you look around the Internet there is quite a bit of negativity towards V Pure but as a customer (loyally for 2 years), I can tell you they are an absolute shambles. No exaggeration to say that when I order it either takes 2 months to arrive or doesn't arrive at all. I heard loads of stuff about the fatty acid levels being fake and surprise surprise their website has been modified now with lower levels. Coincidence? I don't think so. I don't know Opti3 as a brand but I'm giving it a go as I like what I hear.

[Janice Smith]

Sorry Reeta but I have to agree with Troy! Our bodies need oils, as we are partly made of oils. It is absolute nonsense.

Troy - very interesting reading. I spotted something similar through a Google search. It seems Trading Standards have been making themselves heard!

[J W]

Hello:

I work as a reporter in the nutrition industry. I can't comment on shipping issues, but from a strict ingredient comparison: Opti3 Omega3 has 240mg of EPA/DHA and VPure as 420mg of EPA/DHA.

I find Opti3's labeling deceptive b/c they tout having 700mg, but the EPA/DHA is less than half of the total, and EPA/DHA are the important fatty-acids that people need to supplement. Most people have too much omega-6s in their diets, so why would you supplement it? I don't get it ...

Also, as for the EU having an "upper limit" of 200mg DHA -- that is really a very arbitrary number. If you contact a nonprofit EPA/DHA association called GOED, they have a PDF chart of all the different regulations worldwide; you will see there is a HUGE range of RDIs (recommended dietary intakes) for EPA/DHA. The US has failed to adopt any at all, so we are lagging behind the rest of the world.

Most scientists I have interviewed, who regularly read research on these compounds, believe that 700mg per day of EPA/DHA is a good, advisable dose, but there are some countries who have doses even higher than that. Australia recommends 1000mg per day for patients with documented CHD. Japan recommends 1.1g for TODDLERS and 2.4g for nursing women!!!

I would hardly worry about overdosing on EPA/DHA.

Once this knowledge becomes mainstream -- and it will eventually -- there is no way we can meet the potential demand through our current fish stocks. While they are tightly regulated, global taste for fish far exceeds supply, and when you add skyrocketing fish oil consumption on top of it, it is utterly unsustainable.

Algae or yeast-based EPA and DHA is the trend of the future. Hopefully, more such products will be launched in coming years, pushing these manufacturers toward more thoughtful formulation and competitive pricing.

Hope this helps.

[Troy]

J W - you clearly must work for a competitor of Opti3 I imagine?

I can't see anything at all wrong with the labelling. They clearly state how much EPA and DHA are in Opti3 but also how much ALA and SDA are there as well. Both are really useful and important, and of course are converted. Their website explains this in detail.

Why should a product with such a high content of total omega3s not shout about it? I get really annoyed with posts like yours, attempting to mislead.

[Sara]

J W - perhaps you haven't seen that V Pure has reduced it's dose?

Also while I don't want to get involved in this brand versus that brand, ALL vegan omega-3 products contain omega-6. It is naturally produced by the algaes used. From what I can see, the only difference is that Opti3 actually tells it's customers about this whereas others don't, so perhaps a bit harsh to say they are misleading? Quite the opposite.

[Reeta]

V Pure is back in stock after 6 months out.

** But people, please see it has ONLY 10MG EPA per day, 5mg per capsule. That's lower than most DHA only products ***

[Nietzsche]

I am wondering whether sea weed is a good source for omega 3? I have dried sea weed and use 3 weeds a day. I have no idea how much EPA and DHA that means. Does anyone here do? Seaweed also holds other minerals and vitamins that is why it might even be better than V-pure? Can anyone help out?

[V Pure Omega 3 DHA supplement]

In the UK you could get arrested for suggesting that flax oil and cottage cheese could cure cancer.

Other reasons to use a algae derived EPA DHA vegetarian omega 3 supplement rather than fish oil can be found in 'Sea The Truth' the movie by The Sea First Foundation

[Nutritionist London]

http://www.v-pure.com is currently 400mg of pure DHA per 2 capsule dose.

The usual therapeutic dose of pure EPA/DHA is around 1g per day with the emphasis on DHA for building and repair - EG during pregnancy and EPA for function, heart health and emotional wellbeing.

If your need is for EPA I would suggest echiomega - omega 3 rich echium oil which converts to EPA 5x more effectively that of flax because it has SDA that skips the first conversion step on the omega 3 pathway. It also contains longer chain omega 6 GLA which may help with conversion as there is a synergy between 6 and 3. Too much 6 is a problem but a little GLA often seems to help

[Chris Smith (Opti3)]

Hi Everyone,

Great web page. One of my friends recommended I take a read.

Our Opti3 supplement is now a massive 400mg DHA and 200mg EPA per daily dose, so if you're looking for a nice balance of both omega-3s, it is a great option. Opti3 is actually higher strength omega-3 than most fish oils!!

Some good debates on this page (bar a few unfortunate niggles).

We should all remember that Opti3, V-Pure, Echiomega etc. are all pushing the same important message that everyone (not just Vegans and Vegetarians)can move away from fish for their Omega3 needs and help save our oceans and planet!

Best wishes

Chris
http://www.opti3omega.com

p.s. please support http://www.seafirstfoundation.org/

[Beck]

Thanks Chris, Opti3 is a fantastic product! Good on you for developing such a wonderful product for veggies :-)

[Nutritionist London]

Just to keep your readers updated V-Pure has now moved to http://www.nuique.com/omega3/ although http://www.v-pure.com should automatically divert - Thanks again for highlighting sustainable toxin free alternatives to unsustainable fish oil

[DeCodfather]

Chris makes a good point

Algae alternatives to fish oil now have higher doses( 400mg )of DHA than most high street brands of fish oil.

It's no longer just a product for vegetarians and vegans searching for an omega 3 DHA supplement alternative to fish oil.

People need to understand that by killing the fish it's killing the ocean, by killing the ocean they are killing the planet. The seas are the lungs of the planet, more important than the rain forests.

Why would you buy fish oil when algae is better value, purer, free from mercury and PCBs, sustainably farmed - a better product

See these comparisons for fun and info

http://www.nuique.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/vegetarian-vegan-omega-3-epa-dha-vs-fish-oil-supplements/

http://youtu.be/JiT11aL01Q4

Meanwhile if you haven't seen it already you need to watch Sea The Truth The Movie so you can see what I'm talking about

http://www.seathetruth.nl/en/

[Dave]

I think their site has a misprint .

http://www.nuique.com/omega3/

says:

2 capsules provide:
EPA – Eicosapentaenoic - 10mg

That looks too small. It doesn't even compare to the 75mg mentioned here and to the 180mg on my daily. Hope that's incorrect and they can rectify it soon. Hopefully it shall read:

2 capsules provide:
EPA – Eicosapentaenoic - 100mg
DHA – Docosahexaenoic – 400mg

which'll make it quite a competitive product.

Also, a similar product in the pipleline: http://www.aurorainc.com/solutions/omega-3/

[Colin]

Nope its not a mistake, V Pure now only has 10mg EPA per daily dose. Check the product label.

If you want the high strength, Opti3 has its formula with:
400mg DHA
200mg EPA

Vegan Essentials carry it.

[Dave]

Looks like Nuique has improved it's product now with more EPA, but I'm disappointed with negative messages they are punting.

They seem to be being really aggressive toward Omega369 products. I assume they are trying to convert people using seed oil Omegas, but not sure what Echiomega would make of the comments! Personally I like Echiomega, and have benefitted from it.

None of the other Algae Omega3s have any Omega6 or 9 added from what I can see. All algae omegas naturally contain a bit of 6, but a tiny amount.

Disappointing

[Jen]

@ Dave, couldn't agree more. I'm an Echiomega customer but reseller of several Omega brands and was unhappy with the comments in an article written by Nuique so I wrote to Echiomega for their reaction.

They said "A combined omega-3-6-9 such as Echiomega offers benefits perhaps more well suited to general wellbeing, and is particularly good for skin. It just so happens that there is also a synergistic relationship between the SDA and GLA to promote higher conversion to EPA. We consider Echiomega a good vegan alternative to Vegepa because of its high conversion to EPA."

Very good points and valid arguments to support the use of Omega 3,6,9 combo products.

Jen

[Caroline P]

According to their post online, "Nuique feels it’s about time the lid is lifted on supplements that boast of ‘a complete Omega 3’ or ‘Omega 3,6,9. Many consumers are fooled into thinking they are getting a superior Omega 3 product".

I definitely agree with Jen/Echiomega that 3-6-9 is good for the skin. I don't get what Nuique are are trying to say here about other Omega3s.

[Jen]

Re. Nuique’s statements, I got a few comments back from Opti3 to add to those I posted from Echiomega:

“Well from our side, Opti3 doesn’t contain any Omega-9 and only contains a tiny and insignificant amount of Omega-6 (naturally-occurring, also present in ALL other algal omega-3s). Speaking generally, I do think that 369 supplements have their benefits. It is all about balance. We used to have a formula of this type ourselves some time ago.

I can’t speak for other brands, but the important figures about our own brand speak for themselves: Opti3 offers minimum 400mg DHA, 200mg EPA (600mg total Omega-3) with an added dose of 200IU Vegan Vitamin D3.

I think consumers are too savvy to worry about bluster.

Hope this helps”

If I get any more responses, I’ll post them on here as well.

Jen

[Sam]

It is doubtful that omega 3 supplements really help.If we look at fish rich bangladesh , where people are more prone to diabetes and other heart ailments ,one can conclude that excess omega3 is linked to diabetes.

[Cara]

In Bangladesh much of the fish catch is sold for foreign exchange & the people don't consume it. Bangladesh has a high incidence of goiter from lack of iodine, too.