Fish oil is one of the most popular supplements in the country. Adults take them regularly, trying to get some of the same heart-healthy nutrients found in fish, like salmon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fish oil supplements are very popular. In a national survey that CR conducted, they were among the five most popular supplements in the United States.<\/p>\n
To take a closer look, Consumer Reports tested 20 popular fish oil supplements. The good news is that none of the products raised major safety concerns, including contamination from heavy metals or dioxins. But the testing did uncover some quality issues.<\/p>\n
Consumer Reports health expert Catherine Roberts says a few products showed signs of rancidity, which can happen when oils degrade over time. Other supplements contained less omega-3 than their labels claimed, meaning consumers may not be getting the full benefit they\u2019re paying for.<\/p>\n
Some supplement makers are pushing back on the findings. Qunol questioned the testing methods used, while Nature Made said its own testing showed its products met quality standards. California Gold Nutrition said it has paused sales of certain products and is conducting additional testing, and Costco did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n
Beyond product quality, Consumer Reports also raises a broader question: do most people need fish oil supplements at all? Roberts says research suggests that omega-3s from whole foods may offer greater benefits than those taken in pill form, highlighting the importance of diet over supplementation.<\/p>\n
For most people, Consumer Reports recommends getting omega-3s the natural way\u2014by eating fish such as salmon or sardines a couple of times a week. If you do choose to take fish oil supplements, proper storage is key. Like any oil, they can go bad over time, which may affect both quality and effectiveness.<\/p>\n
While fish oil supplements are often marketed for a wide range of health benefits\u2014from heart health to conditions like ADHD, asthma, and allergies\u2014Consumer Reports says the scientific evidence supporting many of those claims remains inconclusive.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMet CR\u2019s Safety and Quality Standards<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t365 Whole Foods Market \u2014 100% Wild-Caught Fish Oil Softgels 1000 mgBarlean\u2019s Organic Oils \u2014 Fresh Catch Fish Oil Softgels, Orange FlavorCVS Health \u2014 100% Wild Alaskan Fish Oil Softgels 1000 mgGNC \u2014 Triple Strength Fish Oil Softgels 1000 mgLil Critters \u2014 Omega-3 Supplement GummyMicro Ingredients \u2014 Triple Strength Omega-3 Fish Oil SoftgelsNature\u2019s Bounty \u2014 Fish Oil Softgels 1200 mgPure Alaska \u2014 Omega Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil Softgels 1000 mgSports Research \u2014 Omega-3 Fish Oil Triple Strength SoftgelsThe Vitamin Shoppe \u2014 Omega-3 Fish Oil SoftgelsViva Naturals \u2014 Triple-Strength Omega-3 Fish Oil Softgels 2500 mg<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMet Standards but Could Not Be Assessed for Rancidity<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBest Nest Wellness Mama Bird \u2014 Prenatal DHA Triglyceride Fish Oil SoftgelsMegaRed Advanced \u2014 4 in 1 Omega-3 Fish & Krill Oil Softgels 900 mgNordic Naturals \u2014 Children\u2019s DHA Softgels, StrawberryNordic Naturals \u2014 Prenatal DHA SoftgelsSpring Valley (Walmart) \u2014 Proactive Support Omega-3 Mini Softgels 1000 mg<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDid Not Meet CR\u2019s Quality Standards<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia Gold Nutrition \u2014 Kids Omega-3 Fish Oil Softgels, StrawberryKirkland Signature (Costco) \u2014 Fish Oil Softgels 1000 mgNature Made \u2014 Burp-Less Fish Oil Softgels 1000 mgQunol Ultra \u2014 Omega-3 Mini Softgels 1000mg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fish oil is one of the most popular supplements in the country. Adults take them regularly, trying to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700791,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[115913,49,48,1849,103769,84,395],"class_list":["post-700790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-5-on-your-side","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-consumer","tag-consumer-reports","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}