Rhonda currently takes an omega-3 supplement called Norwegian PURE-3, which is touted as a high quality fish oil with low levels of oxidation. It comes in 2 versions; high DHA and high EPA. Rhonda currently takes 2g of the high EPA in the morning and 2g of the high DHA in the evening.
Unfortunately this particular product (Norwegian PURE-3) has had inventory issues for some time and is unavailable for order. Rhonda was asked in her June 2021 members Q&A what alternatives she would suggest…
Table of Contents
Norwegian Pure-3 Alternative?
Rhonda’s alternative suggestion is to check the IFOS site (International Fish Oil Standards), and use their testing of fish oil purity, heavy metals contaminants and oxidation levels to find good products. She also mentioned labdoor.com do similar testing.
She then went on to specifically discuss Carlson’s Maximum Omega 2000 – saying it scored well in the IFOS tests.
Using the 3 reports available on the IFOS site (link) at the time of writing, the average total oxidation (TOTOX) for the product is 4.35 For perspective, IFOS consider a TOTOX of under 19.5 a pass. So 4.35 is significantly under their target. Comparatively, in a 2015 study (link) of retail fish oil products, out of 134 tested, the mean TOTOX value was 37 (!) (see table 3 of the study).
You can check the test results yourself by going to its IFOS product page, and then downloading each batch report.
The astute reader may notice that Maximum Omega 2000 has a different ratio of omega-3s to NPure-3, as laid out in the table below. It’s most similar to to NPure-3’s EPA product.
| Per 2 capsule serving | Maximum Omega 2000 | NPure-3 EPA | NPure-3 DHA |
| EPA | 1,250 mg | 1,000 mg | 400 mg |
| DHA | 500 mg | 400 mg | 1,000 mg |
| Other omega-3s | 250 mg | 300 mg | 300 mg |
Carlson don’t do a sister to the Max Omega 2000 product which is high in DHA – but if you want to emulate Rhonda’s approach of alternating between high EPA and high DHA, you could use the Carlson Elite DHA product, which provides 1,000mg of DHA per capsule (but with zero EPA). Based on the IFOS testing the total oxidation value for the DHA product comes in at 9.
Omega-3 Index Blood Test
Rhonda notes in her recent Joe Rogan interview (#1701) she’s a proponent of what’s called the “omega-3 index test”. Mentioning that higher levels are associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality1.
In essence, it measures the omega-3 fatty acids in your red blood cells, expressed as a percentage of the total fatty acids. With a score of 8% or greater being correlated with better health outcomes2.
The company that make this test, OmegaQuant, offer it as an at home fingerprick test. OmegaQuant was founded by Bill Harris who Rhonda interviewed recently. The test comes in 3 versions:
- Omega-3 Index Basic Test ($49) – which provides the omega-3 index score only
- Omega-3 Index Plus Test ($74) – which provides the index score + trans fat index, omega-6 to omega-3 ratio & AA:EPA ratio (inflammation marker)
- Omega-3 Index Complete Test ($99) – which provides everything in the Plus test, and then in addition includes a trans fat index & individual fatty acid levels
For 10% off the tests, use this OmegaQuant coupon code.
Omega-3 Phospholipids, Alzheimer’s & APOE4
This next section is mainly relevant to those with the APOE4 gene. It’s estimated that around 25% of the population have it. You can check this by getting a 23andMe test (their cheaper ancestry test is sufficient) – and then exporting the raw data they provide into Rhonda’s genetic report or to Promethease. 23andMe’s more expensive health package should include APOE4 testing.
APOE4 increases Alzheimer’s risk between 2-3x if you’ve 1 allele and 15x if you’ve 2 allele’s.
One of the reasons for the increase in Alzheimer’s risk with APOE4 is that it impairs regular DHA transport.
In 2018 Rhonda published an open access paper on a possible mechanism for getting DHA into the brain, which bypasses the impaired route.
Rhonda’s paper proposes that consuming DHA in phospholipid form gets around impaired DHA transport. The reason for this is that phospholipid DHA gets converted to DHA-lysoPC, by a specialized transporter called MFSD2A. This transport system appears to continue to work even when regular DHA transport is impaired.
Providing DHA to the brain again, in the form of DHA-lysoPC, may reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk.
According to Rhonda, omega-3 phospholipids are found in fish, and in greatest concentration in fish roe (fish eggs).
Rhonda displaying her paper on mitigating APOE4 induced Alzheimer’s disease risk
Where Rhonda gets her Omega-3 Phospholipids from
Rhonda currently gets hers via wild salmon roe caviar, instead of using a supplement version. She bulk buys her caviar from Vital Choice, who offer it in 2.2lbs packages that can be frozen, and then defrosted one quarter at a time. Consuming this in addition to her regular omega-3 supplementation.
She opted for the salmon roe caviar instead of her previous omega-3 phospholipid supplements, as she learn it was superior. The prior supplements were a herring roe extract made by Nordic Naturals, and before that, Krill oil.
Omega-3 Benefits
Above we discussed the omega-3 fatty acids Rhonda is taking, but before we round off, I want to do a quick overview of the benefits.
Omega-3 oils, EPA & DHA, are essential fatty acids. Specifically, they are incorporated into cell membranes all over the body, but are particularly concentrated in the brain and eyes (retina). They are also vital to processes that mediate lipids, which can be beneficial in the prevention of several diseases. And are essential for proper fetal development and healthy ageing. There’s a good paper that covers their role here.
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For more Rhonda Patrick related content, see below:
- A relatively comprehensive list of supplements that Rhonda has discussed taking, some daily, some for specific use-cases (link)
- A detailed post on Rhonda’s diet – including examples of her breakfast, lunch and dinner (link)
- A post on Rhonda’s approach to exercise + examples of what she does (link)
- Notes on many of the key things Rhonda has discussed about pregnancy, breastfeeding & baby health – based on her journey into motherhood (link)
See Post Sources Below:
- Blood n-3 fatty acid levels and total and cause-specific mortality from 17 prospective studies – Harris et al. | 2021 | Nature Communications
- The Omega-3 Index: Clinical Utility for Therapeutic Intervention | William Harris | 2010 | Current Cardiology Reports
The Carlson’s Maximum Omega 3 does not show up on the labdoor website. The only one that does is Carlson Labs Very Finest Fish Oil, which got a D.
Hi, that’s correct. For the batch reports that cover potency, purity, stability, oxidation and heavy metals – see the IFOS site product page. Scroll down to testing results and download the PDFs.
Hi John, thank you for this great post.
What do you think about the studies showing that algae oil has lower level of Peroxide, Anisdine and Totox?
Hi. If you have a link to the studies you’re referring to I’m happy to take a look.
This is the link
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Peroxide-a-anisidine-b-and-total-oxidation-TOTOX-c-levels-of-over-the-counter_fig2_284078017
Thanks!
Ok, so they’ve taken the average values.
Yeah, I think either route one goes, you want to look at some lab studies of the particular brand to understand their TOTOX values. Even if it’s algae based.
For example the Viva Naturals I linked to is well under the averages of the TOTOX values they listed, in the particular lab analysis I viewed.
You could check Labdoor to see if they’d analyzed some algae based oils.
Hey John. I contacted WHC. It indeed as orange aroma, but not in the fish oil. It is in the gelatine capsule. The p-Anisidine value was thus measured correctly and therefore the TOTOX of 6-8 on average is valid. It is expensive though, but Viva is not available in EU.
I am still not sure what the benefits are for otherwise healthy young individuals if you eat sardines or salmon twice a weak. It’s such an expensive addition when you supplement with 3 to 4 grams of EPA/DHA. like 1 or 2 euro’s.
Hi, good work getting that extra info. However, it’s not clear to me that the orange flavouring being in the capsule, rather than put directly into the oil is proof that the flavouring doesn’t interact with the total oxidation value. From anecdotal experience with flavouring, it tends to permeate quickly through food items when in touching distance. Can we be certain that the flavoring in the capsule doesn’t bleed into the fish oil that gets held inside it for days/weeks/months? To your second point, I would agree, if you’re already eating oily fish 2x or more per week, then the… Read more »
Hi John, great post! I’m trying to figure out what is the best amount to take per day? How many soft gels does Rhonda take and what dosage? At present, I have the brand bulk powders ‘Omega 3 (1000mg)’.
Also is there anyway I can establish what the TOTOX level is before buying online?
Hi Claire. Last time Rhonda discussed her omega-3 supplementation she was taking a high dose. 6 capsules per day, so 6g (6,000mg) total. Regarding the total oxidation, we’re reliant on either the brand publishing that (I haven’t seen any that do), or independent testing. This study (link) is interesting, they tested “171 North American over-the-counter n-3 PUFA nutritional supplements”, and found “Of the products successfully tested, 50% exceeded the voluntary recommended levels for markers of oxidation. Another 18% of products were approaching the limits with 1–3 years before expiration.” Which suggests at least that this is a problem to be… Read more »
Hi,
Im looking for a good quality cod liver oil that contains natural vitamins, any recommendations?
Thank you
From what I understand the more important focus for omega-3 oils is their EPA & DHA quantity, where they’re sourced from (generally smaller fish is better) and their total oxidation (TOTOX) measurement. The lower the TOTOX, the better. Then separately get a good quality multivitamin, rather than conflating the two things (omega-3 and vitamins).
Hi John,
Has Rhonda looked into the Omega 3 concentration of other fish eggs like flying fish roe also known as tobiko? It is considerably less expensive.
Thanks,
Edward
Yes, Rhonda has mentioned them before, and didn’t have any negatives to say regarding flying fish roe. For example see this tweet. Also search this webpage for “flying fish” and you can see the section she talks about it in one of her old podcasts. She just has a personal preference for salmon roe. She has said previously: “Fish roe from salmon, herring, pollock, and flying fish contain approximately 38%-75% of their omega-3 fatty acids in phospholipid form, mostly present in phosphatidylcholine”. Hope that helps.
Thanks. I can’t find the exact percentage of PLs in flying fish roe, but I like it, so I’ll just eat a lot of it.
Is she taking all of these at once? Also, how much of the roe in mgs or ounces is recommended. Thanks
Hi Cameron. When you say all of these – no, not all the products listed above simultaniously. She currently takes Norwegian Pure-3 for fish oils, and consumes the salmon roe as a concentrated source of Omega-3 phospholipids. I listed the other fish oils as previous examples of what she had taken. And as possible alternatives to Norwegian Pure-3 which doesn’t yet ship from the USA (although hopefully that will change).
In terms of quantities of salmon roe, I’ve never heard Rhonda talk about specifics. But from her pictures it appears to be up to 1 tablespoon per serving.
The OMEGA-3 Pure -3 Norwegian capsules say that they’re in TG form. I thought you guys were recommending the phospholipid form?
Rhonda uses both “regular” fish oil in triglyceride form (where she specifically uses N-Pure3 brand currently) and phospholipid omega-3s, which she primarily gets from fish roe. The latter (phospholipid form omega-3) is particularly beneficial to those with APOE4 mutations, because it’s absorbtion in the brain isn’t hindered by the effect of the particular DNA mutation.
Hi,
Trying to find source to purchase supplies of OMEGA-3 Pure -3 Norwegian capsules. in US. Can you direct me please?
Hi Robin. Currently (as far as I know) Npure3 only ship directly from their base in Norway. They don’t have a USA based retailer that I’m aware of – meaning shipping takes a bit longer (and costs more) than it would normally. I emailed them a while back asking when they would sell on Amazon, and was told it’s in the works, but seems to be taking a while.
Your site is a great resource, John. Where did Rhonda say she takes Norwegian pure 3 DHA in the pink packaging? I listened to her Crowdcast but she just mentioned Norwegian Pure 3.
Hi Nadia, thanks for the message. Good question. Here’s a link to the section of Rhonda’s crowdcast where she discusses this… hope that helps.
Listen out for her mentioning “high DHA”.