It’s a universal experience: Listening to your parents pleading with you to take your daily vitamins and minerals — including the best omega 3 supplements. But with the wellness industry booming, and TikTok nutritionists all claiming to have found the ideal daily dose, we had to ask: Are omega 3 supplements really worth the investment?
“Think of it like a bag of flour that can be converted into various dishes, such as bread, muffins or cake,” explains digestive health nutritionist and founder of Sheer Nutrition, Katherine Corsan. “If the baseline ‘ingredient’ isn’t available, then nothing else will follow.”
She continues: “The amount of omega 3 that makes it into the cell membrane can influence how each individual cell functions and communicates with other cells, ultimately affecting how well you function overall.”
But to save you scouring the web for suitable omega 3 supplements, we’ve rounded up the very best — most tried and tested by GLAMOUR editors. Because we wouldn’t recommend anything to you that we wouldn’t to a friend. And, so you’re fully informed, we’ve also asked industry experts for answers to all your FAQs.
SKIP TO: Meet the experts | What is omega 3 and what are the benefits? | How much omega 3 do you need? | What are the best dietary sources of omega 3? | How we test the best omega 3 supplements
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that this article isn’t a substitute for professional medical advice, and our recommendations won’t replace a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet.
What is omega 3 and what are the benefits?
“Omega 3 fats are long-chain, polyunsaturated fats that are important to our health and wellbeing,” says nutritionist and founder of Artah Health, Rhian Stephenson. “They’re referred to as our ‘essential’ fatty acids because our bodies aren’t able to produce them, so they must come from our diet. Fish oil is the best source of omega 3 fats.”
There are three main types of omega 3s: ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). “EPA and DHA are found in higher concentration in our eyes, brain, and reproductive system, and are also essential for the health of our hormones, skin, immune system, cardiovascular system, nervous system and are also thought to lower our risk of cancer and heart disease,” details Stephenson.
How we test the best omega 3 supplements:
The GLAMOUR team are a hard-working bunch, often using their evenings and weekends to moonlight as beauty and wellness testers. This includes trialling the best sleep supplements, Lion’s Mane supplements, magnesium supplements and green powders to see which actually make a difference to their wellbeing, without making a major dent in their monthly budget.
Each willing volunteer was asked to try one omega 3 supplement for a minimum of four weeks. At the end of their trial period, they were asked to rate it against the following criteria:
- Ease of use — Were the capsules easy to swallow? Did the powder mix well with water?
- Efficacy — How long into the four weeks did they notice a difference, if any?
- Taste — On a scale of one to five, how pleasurable was the taste?
- Value for money — Would they be happy to commit to the weekly, monthly or bi-monthly spend?
And yes, only the top-performing made it into our edit below.
