OmegaXL is a a fish oil supplement sold by a brand called Great HealthWorks. The manufacturer used to claim that their supplement was 20x more potent than fish oil, but now simply describes it as a "powerful omega 3 joint health supplement."
But was any proof ever provided that OmegaXL was 20x more potent than fish oil? Are the ingredients in OmegaXL clinically shown to improve joint health? Are there any unhealthy additives? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of OmegaXL?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in OmegaXL to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for joint health, and whether or not it's 20x more potent than standard fish oil.
We'll also highlight some third-party test results from ConsumerLab which were very unfavorable for OmegaXL, and feature real customer reviews of the brand.
Ingredient Analysis
OmegaXL has three active ingredients, as shown above: PCSO-524, extra virgin olive oil, and vitamin E.
These ingredients are included in a proprietary (prop) blend with a total dosage of 300 milligrams (mg), which equates to an average ingredient dose of 100 mg.
PCSO-524 is a patented fish oil derived from green-lipped mussels.
A clinical trial published in the Marine Drugs journal found that this compound was more effective than regular fish oil at relieving arthritis pain. Trial participants taking PCSO-524 reported an 89% decrease in pain.
It's worth noting that the trial was partially funded by the ingredient's manufacturer, which may increase the risk of bias.
A 2015 clinical trial reported similarly positive results for PCSO-524. The trial tested the effects of PCSO-524 supplementation on inflammation after muscle-damaging exercise, but the results were benchmarked against olive oil rather than fish oil.
The daily dose was also 1,200 mg, which is 12x higher than the average active ingredient dose in OmegaXL.
Olive oil was shown in a 2018 medical review to have anti-inflammatory and cardio-protective properties.
Vitamin E was shown in a medical review published in the Advances in Pharmacological Sciences journal to be anti-inflammatory at high doses, but it may be unsafe to take this nutrient for long periods of time because it's fat-soluble, meaning it can accumulate in the body.
The inactive ingredients in this formulation should be safe and non-toxic, which is a good thing.
Overall, we consider OmegaXL likely to relieve joint pain and support optimal joint health, because all of its active ingredients have research backing.
However, we haven't come across any convincing clinical evidence that this supplement is "20x more potent" than fish oil, or what that even means.
Concerning Third-Party Test Results
ConsumerLab is an independent laboratory that tests dietary supplements and reports the results on their website.
OmegaXL was one of the brands tested in their review of fish oil supplements. The results were surprising.
ConsumerLab reported the following: "It is somewhat surprising that a product named Omega XL provides relatively small amounts of omega fatty acids and a chemical profile similar to olive oil."
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are the primary health-promoting compounds in fish oil, were almost entirely absent.
These test results should be concerning to consumers, and suggest that OmegaXL may contain more olive oil than fish oil.
However, at the time of updating this article, ConsumerLab has updated their review to remove this information. We're unsure if this was due to legal action, or due to improved test results, or some other cause.
Real People Try OmegaXL
A TikTok creator named Joyce Saint-Cyr claims that OmegaXL relieved her pain in an unsponsored video:
@dcpaccountant Joint pain is no joke, but I’ve been taking this omega XL and it’s been helping me now I wanna know who else is taking it. How long have you been taking it? Does it still help? Did it stop helping? Give me some insight I’d like to know. #omegaXL #omegaxl #diversecommunitypartnersinc #joycesaintcyr #realaccountantontiktoka #pain #jointpain #kneepainrelief ♬ Moonlite Love - Abir’yah
A YouTube creator named "raescurlsandbags" shares her experience taking OmegaXL for back pain:
Does OmegaXL Cause Side Effects?
OmegaXL does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to say for certain whether or not the supplement causes side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We do not believe that OmegaXL is likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals, given that it has a simple, non-toxic formulation, and all of its active ingredients are well-studied.
Because fish oil decreases gastric secretion according to clinical research, it may cause indigestion at high doses.
However, as we outlined in the Ingredient Analysis section, OmegaXL provides a relatively low dose of fish oil, so we don't consider this a concern.
There is no mention of side effects on the OmegaXL website at the time of updating this article.
Where to Get the Best Price
OmegaXL is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here's the price breakdown at the time of updating this article:
Walmart: $48.99 (free shipping, link)
Brand website: $46.90 (plus two free products, link)
Amazon: $44 (free shipping, third-party seller, link to Amazon listing)
OmegaXL is currently cheaper on Amazon than other retailers. However, the Amazon listing is from a third-party seller, so it may be safer to purchase directly from the manufacturer.
The OmegaXL website offers two bottles of the supplement for the stated price, along with a bottle of a vitamin D3 supplement, however it appears to require a subscription purchase without the option to make a one-time purchase.
Our Clean Omega-3 Picks
MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top fish oil pick.
This supplement provides 1.7 grams (g) of omega-3 per softgel and is naturally flavored with lemon oil.
The National Institutes of Health recommends a daily omega-3 dose of 1.6 g for adult men and 1.1 g for adult women so this falls right within the effective dosing range (men can take two pills daily if they want to up their dose).
Performance Lab Omega-3 is our top vegan omega-3 supplement pick.
This supplement provides 1,800 milligrams (mg) of oil from sea algae which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Customers Rate OmegaXL
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, OmegaXL has been reviewed over 30,000 times on Amazon, and has an average review rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from an anonymous Amazon Customer who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"I love this product, I hurt my shoulder in April and woke up at night constantly and decided to try this in October. Took about 2 weeks to really notice a difference but by Jan no more pain, can’t really think of anything different I did other than take this product, would highly recommend."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Litza Vasquez" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
"For those of you who have tried this product and it, for some odd reason, tricks your brain into thinking it's working... More power to you. First time buyer who of are looking for joint relief from pain, save your money because this is 100% a scam. You can achieve the same results with some cheap fish oil from your local supermarket."
The supplement's manufacturer currently has an average review rating of 4.61 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) site, but some users like "Janell D" allege the brand is a scam:
"They are scamming the elderly by getting them to give their CC# and putting them on an auto ship without their knowledge."
To the credit of Great HealthWorks, the manufacturer responds to nearly all negative reviews attempting to rectify the situation, which is a sign of brand quality.
Pros and Cons of OmegaXL
Here are the pros and cons of OmegaXL in our opinion:
Pros:
- Main ingredient clinically shown to work
- No harmful additives
- Relatively affordable
- Positive Amazon reviews
- Highly positive BBB reviews
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Third-party testing showed low omega-3 content
- Much lower fish oil dose than most supplements
- No proof it's 20x more potent than fish oil
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Brand website only offers subscription purchase option
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
