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 ingredients? And how does OmegaXL compare to other popular fish oil supplements?
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 discuss whether or not this supplement is healthy, and compare it to other popular fish oil supplements.
Key takeaways:
- Contains research-backed ingredients for pain relief
- We consider those ingredients underdosed
- We do not currently recommend OmegaXL
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in OmegaXL are shown below:
OmegaXL has four active ingredients: PCSO-524, extra virgin olive oil, 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 75 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 in both trials was 400% or more of the average ingredient dose in OmegaXL, so we consider this ingredient potentially underdosed.
Olive oil was shown in a 2018 medical review to have anti-inflammatory and cardio-protective properties.
Vitamin E is clinically shown to have anti-inflammatory effects when taken orally, as we documented in our Anna's Wild Yam Cream reviews article.
The inactive ingredients, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
Overall, we're unconvinced about the potential for OmegaXL to relieve pain, because we consider its core active ingredient to be potentially underdosed.
The good news is that this formulation contains no unhealthy ingredients.
It's also notable that the manufacturer failed to prove that their supplement was ever 20x more potent than fish oil (or how that would be determined), and has since removed that marketing claim from their website.
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.
OmegaXL vs. the Competition
Here's how OmegaXL compares to other popular fish oil supplements in our opinion:
Costco Fish Oil
Costco's Kirkland Signature is one of the most trusted brands in the US, and the company's fish oil is effectively-priced and free of unhealthy additives.
This supplement is sold at different doses, so consumers can avoid the potential underdosing issues we are concerned about with OmegaXL.
Winner: Costco Fish Oil
Relief Factor
Formulation suffers from similar issues as OmegaXL: we consider the majority of active ingredients to be underdosed based on a review of clinical literature.
However, as we documented in our analysis of Relief Factor ingredients, we consider one active ingredient (turmeric) to be effectively dosed.
Winner: Relief Factor
Nature Made Fish Oil
Effective fish oil dose, no unhealthy additives, and a guarantee of product purity (which is important in this category because fish oil supplements range significantly in terms of heavy metal content.
Winner: Nature Made Fish Oil
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 free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
OmegaXL Pros and Cons
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
