My Recommended Fish Oil Supplement

by Colin McNulty on 30 April 2008

EDIT: Read the comments before following this advice!

Fish Oil Supplements are highly recommended not only on the Zone Diet, but also by Crossfit. I’m finally prepared to make a recommendation for a supplier that meets my own exacting standards.

Despite spending many hours searching and contacting suppliers in the UK, I eventually gave up trying to find a reliable UK supplier of properly and verifiably refined Fish Oil (Pharmaceutical Grade if you care for that term) to the proportions and quality levels as define in The Zone Diet. I didn’t want to go to the States as I expected shipping to be prohibitive and didn’t trust them to arrive basically.

However I’ve found a US Fish Oil supplier that has the right product, publishes the quality reports, delivers within 10 days to the UK and most importantly, is cheap by most standards. I ordered 2 bottles of 120 capsules, at a strength which requires only 2 caps per day (2.5g of EPA/DHA per day) which is 4 months supply, for less than £24 including delivery, which works at a bargain £1.40 for a weeks supply, or 20p a day if you prefer.

Compare this to the Holland & Barrett Fish Oil at £32 inc p&p for 55 days worth (at 9 caps per day for a matching EPA/DHA dose) which is a vastly inferior product and works out 3x more expensive at £4.07 per week. This is the Fish Oil I’m taking:

Product: – Ascenta, Nutra Sea Fish Oil, EPA DHA, Original Formula, Lemon Zest, 120 Softgels
Price: $15.39 per 120 cap bottle (2 month supply)
Quality Report: http://ascentahealth.com/reports/report.cfm?batch=2137501 (for current batch)
Supplier: www.iHerb.com
Product Page: http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=5843775620790248000&at=0
Discount Coupon: COM635 – Gives $5 off first order

The more you order, the cheaper shipping becomes. However here’s the rub: if you order more than $35 worth of product (excluding shipping price) your package may get stopped by UK customs and you’ll have to pay VAT on the import. Despite this, if you order a years supply it is slightly cheaper (about 50p per month cheaper). However I went for the less risky option and ordered 2 bottles @ $30 ish and avoided all that nonsense. Seemed like the most sensible option to me.

So there you have it, a top quality fish oil with very low levels of those nasty PCB’s and Dioxins etc, at a high purity level (about 70%), all at a price cheaper than the high street.

{ 10 comments… add one }

David Nichols 31 May 2008, 12:09 am

Colin,
It seems you would have to take 8 of those capsules to get 2.6g EPA+DHA. The way I read it, the supplement facts on the iherb site you referenced indicates 1.3g per 4 capsules.

Dave
Colin McNulty 3 June 2008, 5:22 am

😮

You are right Dave, how did I miss that!?! Hmmm I wonder if its changed? I can’t believe that I would have missed that, I spent weeks researching different fish oils.

Well maybe I did miss it and maybe it’s changed, no point agonising over it. Either way, you are spot on Dave, thanks for pointing that out. I am going to have to start the search for a better fish oil…. again!

For the record, I am no longer recommended this Ascenta Health fish oil !

Colin
Phil Beb 5 June 2010, 11:39 am

OOps! Just ordered 2 bottles literally 2 minutes ago then read the comments.

Instead of 4 months supply, 2 bottles @ 8 capsules a day will give me 2 months supply? As you can guess maths isn’t one of my strong points haha.

If they do the job then it’s still money well spent imo no probs.

P.s Great blog Colin
Phil Beb 5 June 2010, 9:10 pm

I’ve just had a thought, 2 bottles @ 8 per day = 1 months supply? nvm you win some you lose some, no probs.

P.s Have you got any updates on a new supplier Colin?
Colin McNulty 6 June 2010, 6:57 am

Hi Phil, ah sorry about that. I’ll add a note to the main post.

I’m working on it at the moment, in fact I’m hoping to import some myself as I’ve given up on finding what I want from a UK supplier. If you pop me your email (comment with it in, no one else will see it, or email me direct, it won’t take you more than 2 seconds to guess my email address!) I’ll let you know when I know what I’m doing and see if you want to come in with me to import our own stock.
Phil Beb 7 June 2010, 10:24 am

Hi Colin, yeah i would definitely be interested.

I’ve sent you an e-mail

Cheers.

Phil.
Colin McNulty 8 June 2010, 5:12 am

Hi Phil, I got your email but thought I’d reply here.

Yes I remember you. Karl at Crossfit3D knows what he’s talking about, so I’d go to him in the first instance for your questions. It’s much easier face to face. Yes it’s a lot to take in at first, but don’t fret about it, you’ll pick it up, everyone does.

You are a lot like me 3.5 years ago; I too knew nothing and had done nothing since school. Crossfit and the Zone changed my life for sure, and has added over a decade to my life expectancy (search my blog for “life expectancy”).

Fish oil is the only supplement I take, and that is mostly for its long term health benefits. It’s very hard to quantify feeling different as a result of taking it, and many people report that they don’t. Some people report that they perform better, some don’t. But with the wide variety of types and dossages people use, it’s tricky to say why that is, and so it becomes a personal choice.

Hope that helps, and I’ll let you know about the fish oil order.
Phil Beb 8 June 2010, 8:20 pm

Hi Colin, thanks for the reply…yeah looking forward to getting into all this stuff properly, I can only manage Crossfit 2 days a week at the moment until I build my fitness and strength levels up a good few notches.

Can’t wait till my levels are good enough to start doing 3 on 1 off.

I knew it was going to be hard both mentally and physically but Phew! I didn’t realise how hard!

Before I start the session I’m very apprehensive/nervous….butterflies in my stomach etc, then the session starts and after 5 minutes Wow! My body and mind are screaming at me to give up, it feels like torture at the time…haha!

There’s no chance of giving up though when you have the likes of Karl and Pete with their first class coaching and excellent motivational skills as well as the encouragement and friendliness of all the other lads at Crossfit3D. Giving up isn’t an option.

When the session is over and I’ve regained my composure I get an overwhelming feeling of euphoria and a sense of achievement, it’s a great feeling and it’s that, that makes you want to go through it all again. Fantastic!

Started the Zone Diet today as well….so it’s all systems go, I’m looking forward to seeing where all this takes me.

Its great reading stories like your own Colin and how you started out to where you are now. Reading things like that is great for motivation and very encouraging…great stuff!

Cheers.

Phil.
Colin McNulty 8 June 2010, 9:06 pm

Yep, Crossfit is certainly a roller coaster, there’s no doubt about it. Very addictive and fun, but most importantly, very effective though. You’ll be fit as a fiddle in no time.

Just a small word of warning: it never gets any easier! As you get stronger, fitter and faster, you just do heavier weights and more reps, but you maintain the intensity. 3.5 years on and I still haven’t quite got used to the fact that it still feels as hard as the day I started!