Nordic Naturals Nordic Omega-3 Fishies

Label Accuracy

Omega-3 fatty acid content was measured at 170mg/serving, 25% over its label claim.

EPA and DHA both exceeded their respective label claims: EPA measured at 100mg, 47.06% over its claim, and DHA measured at 50mg, 11.11% over its claim.

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Product Purity

Mercury content measured at a category-low 1 PPB (parts per billion), below the 2.4 PPB category average. The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED) mercury limit is 100 PPB. Bulk samples of this product also passed the six mineral assays, indicating presence of under 1 PPM of arsenic, lead, cadmium, bismuth, antimony, and silver.

Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) content (representative of aroclors 1016, 1221, 1232, 1242, 1248, 1254, and 1260) measured at less than 0.01 PPM. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 2 PPM limit on PCBs for the edible parts of fish/shellfish. California’s Proposition 65 requires products containing greater than 0.09 PPM of PCB content to bear a cancer warning.

Peroxide value recorded at 1 meq/kg, and a p-anisidine value recorded at 1.1.

Note: Our freshness scores are based entirely on peroxide values, measures of primary oxidation in fatty acids. Flavoring agents have been shown to skew p-anisidine values (measures of secondary oxidation). LabDoor is currently researching alternative p-anisidine assays that have the capability to account for and eliminate the effects of flavoring.

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Nutritional Value

One serving of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fishies provides 170mg total omega-3 fatty acids, significantly below the 1.1g - 1.6g daily Adequate Intake (AI) range set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for individuals over the age of 14. Of the total omega-3 content, EPA accounts for 100mg and DHA accounts for 50mg. There is currently no established daily recommended intake for EPA and DHA, although the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation -- 0.3g - 0.5g EPA + DHA/day with 0.8g - 1.1g ALA/day (which is partially converted to EPA and DHA) -- is held in high regard.

Furthermore, this product consists of only 2% EPA + DHA.

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Ingredient Safety

Mercury content measured at 1 PPB, below the 2.4 PPB category average and significantly below the 100 PPB limit established by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED).

PCB content measured at less than 0.01 PPM, significantly below the 2 PPM limit set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the stricter 0.09 PPM limit enacted by California’s Proposition 65.

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Projected Efficacy

Omega-3 fatty acids constitute only 2% of this product's total mass.

170mg omega-3, consisting of 100mg EPA and 50mg DHA, is expected to be minimally effective based on an estimated 1g recommended daily intake. It is expected to be less effective than other fish oil supplements containing higher levels of total omega-3 fatty acids, which include EPA + DHA.

Omega-3 fatty acids are clinically shown to improve cardiovascular conditions such as coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, and, according to limited evidence, enhance cognition, reduce anxiety, improve athletic performance and decrease risk of certain cancers. Clinical research supporting the latter effects is promising, but not conclusive; additional research is required before any conclusions can be drawn.

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