Spring Valley Triple Strength Fish Oil

Label Accuracy

Omega-3 fatty acid content was measured at 1100mg/serving, 22.2% over its 900mg label claim.

EPA and DHA content both exceeded their respective label claims: EPA was measured at 744mg/serving, 15.0% over its claim, and DHA was measured at 283mg/serving, 11.9% over its claim.

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Product Purity

Mercury content measured at a category-high 10 PPB (parts per billion), significantly above 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 0.02 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 1.8 meq/kg, and a p-anisidine value recorded at 9.4.

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 Spring Valley Triple Strength Fish Oil provides 1100mg total omega-3 fatty acids, within 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 744mg and DHA accounts for 283mg. 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 67% EPA + DHA.

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Ingredient Safety

Mercury content measured at a category-high 10 PPB, significantly over the 2.4 PPB category average but below the 100 PPB limit established by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED).

This product had measurable levels of PCB content, recording 0.02 PPM of aroclor 1260. This is 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 72% of this product's total fish oil content.

1100mg of total omega-3 fatty acids, consisting of 744mg EPA and 283mg DHA, is expected to be highly effective based on an estimated 1g recommended daily intake.

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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