Ask the Pharmacist

Is the fish oil used for Omegor Vitality extracted from farmed or wild fish?

Good morning I am a medical doctor and a regular conumulator of omegor vitality....me and my family. The only thing I don't understand is the following.....the fish oil extracted to make omegor vitality is derived from what fish? caught or farmed fish? how come it is not specified on the package since this is the absolute most important thing? thank you again for your kind reply. Dr. CZ (BO)



Dear Dr. Z, 

Omegor Vitality, like all of our fish oil supplements, is made with fish oils extracted from fish caught in open water and not from farmed fish. Specifically, the species from which the oil is extracted are anchovies and sardines (as specified on the package under allergens). 

We use oil from these bluefish because they are richer in omega-3 fatty acids and because these species do not hold the highest positions in the food chain and are less prone to pollution. Fish living in open water feed on zooplankton and algae, which are a source of α-linolenic acid (ALA) the omega-3 fatty acid that is essential for animal organisms and from which the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA are then formed by a series of chain elongation and desaturation reactions. 


Farmed fish provide fish oil that is less rich in omega-3 because their diet is poor in algae and richer in other fish and feeds, and their omega-3 content is highly variable depending on the omega-3 content of the added feeds. In addition, xenobiotics such as hormones or antibiotics are often added to the rearing tanks, which certainly make these fish and their derivatives less pure than open-water fish. In the table below you will find omega-3 fatty acid levels in commercially available oils (excerpted from "Long-chain Omega-3 Specialty Oils" by Harald Breivik, published by Oily Press Ltd.)  



Type of fish

Concentration (% total fat)



EPA

DPA

DHA

Total

Anchovies

22

2

9

33

Sardines

16

2

9

27

Farmed salmon

7

3

11

21



Thank you for your comment, we gladly take your suggestion and will immediately include the information on our website and then also on the label. I invite you to contact us again for further information. 


Sincerely, 

Dr. Rosaria Ramondino Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Chemist 


For any further clarification or curiosity, I invite you to fill out the form below. It will be the responsibility of the Omegor staff to answer any of your questions in a timely manner.