Is an omega 3-6-9 supplement worth taking?
Answer
Generally not. Omega 6 and 9 are abundant in an ordinary UK diet, and combining them dilutes the EPA and DHA content that the only authorised claim depends on.
Key takeaways
- What is in one?
- Omega 3 alongside omega 6 and omega 9, usually from a blend of fish, plant and seed oils.
- Do you need the 6 and 9?
- Rarely. Omega 6 is abundant in vegetable oils and processed food, and omega 9 is not essential at all.
- What is the practical problem?
- Combining them reduces the EPA and DHA per capsule, which is the figure the claim depends on.
What the three actually are
Omega 3 covers ALA from plants and EPA and DHA from marine sources. Omega 6 is mainly linoleic acid, abundant in vegetable oils, nuts and processed food. Omega 9 is mainly oleic acid, found in olive oil, and it is not an essential fatty acid because the body makes it.
So of the three, only omega 3 in the form of EPA and DHA is realistically short in a UK diet, and it is the only one carrying a claim a supplement can meet.
The dilution problem
A capsule has finite space. Filling it with three families of fatty acids means less room for the two that matter, so combined products routinely carry considerably less EPA and DHA per capsule than a plain fish oil.
That pushes the capsule count up to reach 250mg combined, which raises the real cost per day. Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil provides 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA in one mini softgel, which is 300mg combined at 17p a day.
Whether the balance argument holds
Combined products are often sold on balancing the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in the diet. The ratio discussion is real and unresolved, and adding more omega 6 in a capsule is a strange way to address a concern about having too much of it.
No authorised claim exists for an omega 6 to 3 ratio, and the practical route for anyone worried about it is eating oily fish rather than buying more of the fatty acid already in surplus.
The full version
- Which form of omega 3 is best?ALA, EPA and DHA, and which count towards the claim.
- How to spot an underdosed fish oilThe arithmetic that catches a diluted product.
The product
Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil
Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil is the 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA one at 17p a day. One mini softgel gives 300mg combined, clearing the 250mg threshold for the authorised heart claim.
- 300mg combined EPA and DHA per softgel
- Batch tested to ISO 17025 standards
- Deodorised mini softgel, one a day
- Bovine gelatin shell, not vegetarian
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Is omega 3-6-9 worth buying?
Generally not. Omega 6 and 9 are abundant in an ordinary diet and their inclusion dilutes the EPA and DHA.
Is omega 9 essential?
No. The body makes oleic acid, so it is not an essential fatty acid.
What about balancing the ratio?
No authorised claim exists for it, and adding omega 6 is a strange way to address a surplus of it.