The Four Hour Life

In today’s post we will look at Costco’s Fish Oil selection and compare them to my two “gold standard” fish oil supplements. This will be the ultimate cost benefit analysis and will hopefully help you make a better decision about the best fish oil supplement for your needs and budget. 

Kirkland Signature™ vs. Nature’s Bounty® vs. Nature Made® vs. Nordic Naturals® vs. Carlson®

Some time ago I changed the way I recommended fish oil.  This was mostly based on anecdotal evidence from “those in the know” that certain brands were far superior, not only in taste but in quality and efficacy.

This has been backed up by scant evidence.  And the more research I do the more I have began looking again at traditional low cost brands. Especially those from Costco.

I have been sending my patients to Costco for years.  Mostly because of availability, quality and their wonderful bulk pricing.  Not everyone can afford to fork out $324 (The cost of a 1 year supply of Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega).

This was a fun blog post to write because the results were completely surprising and I will probably change my fish oil as a result.

And the winner is? (Scroll to the bottom to see the results)

Nature’s Bounty®

All Natural Maximum Strength Fish Oil 1400 mg, 980 mg Omega-3 130 Enteric Coated Liquid Soft gels

Products SitePrice: 19.89 Cost per pill after tax: $0.16 Each fill lasts 130 days Cost over 12 Months: $57.60 Total EPA/DHA per day: 980mg Info Sheet (Click to Enlarge) Directions: For Adults, take one (1) soft gel daily, preferably with a meal. Serving Size: 1 Soft gel Calories 15, Calories from Fat 15 Total Fat 1.5 g Saturated Fat 0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g Monounsaturated Fat 0 g Cholesterol < 5 mg Fish Oil 1,400 mg (1.4 g) EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) 700 mg DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) 280 mg Total Omega 3 Fatty Acids 980 mg

Nature Made®

Fish Oil 1200 mg Maximum Strength, 375 Soft gels (not enteric coated)

Product SitePrice: 12.99 (sale price) Cost per pill after tax: $0.04 Each fill lasts 94 Cost over 12 Months: $57.60 Total EPA/DHA per day (based on 2 tabs 2x per day): 960mg        Info Sheet (Click to Enlarge) Suggested Use: Take one to two soft gels two times daily with a meal Serving Size: 2 Soft gelsSupplement Facts Calories 25 Calories From Fat 20 Total Fat 2.5 g Saturated Fat 1 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g Cholesterol 25 mg Protein < 1 g Fish Oil Concentrate 2400 mg Omega-3 (EPA)  360 mg Omega-3 (DHA) 120 mg Other Omega-3 120 mg

Kirkland Signature™

Enteric Coated Omega-3 Fish Oil Concentrate 1200 mg One Per Day Formulation 180 Soft gels

Product SitePrice: 15.29 Cost per pill after tax: $0.09 Each fill lasts 180 Cost over 12 Months: $32.40 Total EPA/DHA per day (based on 2 tabs 2x per day): 684mg If you take 2 pills per day to reach 1368mg of EPA/DHA Cost over 12 Months: $64.80 Info Sheet (Click to enlarge) Suggested Use: Take one soft gel daily with a full glass of water Serving Size: 1 soft gel Supplement Facts:   Calories 10, Calories from Fat 10 Total Fat 1 g Cholesterol 10 mg Fish Oil Concentrate 1200 mg Omega 3 EPA 410 mg Omega 3 DHA 274 mg

Now a Look at the “Premium Brands”

	Ultimate Omega® 120 soft gels
(click to enlarge)	Product LinkPrice: 49.95 Cost per pill after tax: $0.45 Cost per dose: 0.90 Each fill lasts 60 days Cost over 12 Months: $324.00   Suggested Use: Two soft gels daily with food, or as directed by your health care professional or pharmacist. Supplement Info: Total Omega 3: 1280mg EPA 650 mg DHA 450 mg Other Omega 3: 180mg

	ELITE OMEGA-3 GEMS 90 Soft gels
(click to enlarge)	Product LinkPrice: 29.90 Cost per pill after tax: $0.36 Cost per dose: 0.36 Each fill lasts 90 days Cost over 12 Months: $129.20 (based on 1 pill per day)   Suggested Use: 1-5 tabs per day Supplement info: per pill Omega 3 from fish oil: 800 EPA : 400mg DHA: 300 mg Other Omega 3: 100mg

Fish Oil Cost vs. Dose Comparison

	Kirkland Brand	*Natures Bounty Enteric Coated	Nature Made	*Kirkland Enteric Coated	Nordic Naturals	*Carlson Labs Elite Omega-3 Gems
12 month cost $	21.60	57.60	57.60	32.40 (62.80)	324.00	129.20
cost per day $	0.06	0.16	0.16	.09 (.18)	0.90	0.36
EPA/DHA Total mg.	900	980	960	684 (1360)	1280	800
Tabs Per Day	3	1	4	1 (2)	2	1

* Denotes best of class based on all criteria

Discussion

The Costco Comparison

Based on ease of use (total tabs per day), cost, EPA/DHA ratios, and palatability. Both the Natures Bounty Enteric Coated and the Kirkland Brand Enteric Coated fish oil seem like very good deals.

I have taken the enteric coated Kirkland brand tabs and found that even though they are enteric coated they taste poor and still cause the proverbial “fish burps”.  I have yet to try the Natures Bounty brand but I think I will give it a try.

Premium Brands

When it comes to premium brands I currently take Nordic Naturals – Ultimate Omega/Lemon Taste soft gels.   After seeing the comparison and price structure it seems as though Carlson Labs may be a better bet. You would get significantly more omega 3 with a good EPA/DHA ratio at a lower cost. I have heard they are also quite palatable and have a good track record for quality and purity.

Final Thoughts

I will probably continue to dish out the extra dough for a premium fish oil. I say this because I have found since taking the Nordic Naturals I never get a fishy aftertaste and I feel confident in the quality of the fish oil.  For the first time I actually look forward to taking my fish oil… Something I used to hate while taking the Costco brand. The end result over the last 9 months is that I have hardly missed a dose.  My serum cholesterol levels have been better than ever (not that that probably matters but it is a good metric).

• Triglycerides:36
• HDL:56
• LDL: 46

Some Interesting Food for thought:

Omega 3 Mania

1. Doctor Mercola Beating up on Costco
2. Evolutionary Psychiatry: Just Eat Fish (Also a truly awesome blog)
3. Marks Daily Apple:
   1. Definitive Guide to Fish Oil 1
   2. Definitive Guide to Fish Oil 2

Awesome tool to calculate your med costs

1. Medication Cost Calculator

{ 5 comments }