Omega-3 fish oil: how to read EPA + DHA on the label
Quick answer
Ignore the '1000 mg fish oil' on the front and buy on the EPA + DHA line of the Supplement Facts panel — aim for roughly 250-500 mg of combined EPA + DHA per day, and compare products by cost per gram of EPA + DHA, since a '1000 mg' softgel can hold only ~300 mg of the active omega-3s.
Alex Soto, Founder, VitaminDB
5 min readUpdated 5/3/2026 NIH-sourced
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The front of an omega-3 bottle usually shouts "1000 mg fish oil per softgel". That number is mostly fish oil triglycerides — only a fraction is the bioactive omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
What to actually look for
Flip the bottle. The Supplement Facts panel breaks down the fish oil into:
A typical 1000 mg softgel contains 180 mg EPA + 120 mg DHA = 300 mg combined active. So you'd need 3 softgels a day to hit a 900 mg EPA+DHA target.
Concentrated oils (sometimes labelled "high potency", "TG concentrate", or "Triple-Strength") put 500–650 mg EPA+DHA into the same softgel. They cost more per softgel but less per gram of active.
Daily target
EFSA's stance: 250 mg combined EPA+DHA daily for general adults. Cardiovascular societies (AHA, ESC) recommend 1000 mg/day for established heart disease prevention. Pregnancy raises the DHA requirement to ~200 mg in addition.
Round number: 500–1000 mg combined EPA+DHA daily is the supportable practical target for most adults.
Triglyceride vs ethyl ester form
- TG (re-esterified triglyceride) — closer to the natural fish form, ~50% better absorbed in fasting conditions.
- EE (ethyl ester) — the cheap industrial form. Absorption gap shrinks if you take it with a fatty meal.
If two bottles list the same EPA+DHA at the same price, prefer TG. The label usually says "natural triglyceride" or "rTG". If it says nothing, assume EE.
Quality flags worth paying for
- IFOS / Friend of the Sea certification — third-party tests for oxidation (rancidity), heavy metals, PCBs.
- Burp test — fresh oil should taste mildly fishy, not "rotten fish". Rancid oil is harmful.
- Dark glass bottle if liquid; refrigerate after opening.
Practical buying rule
Compare the cost per gram of EPA+DHA, not per softgel.
A bottle of 60 softgels at $15 with 300 mg EPA+DHA each = 18 g of actives total = $0.83 per gram.
A bottle of 60 softgels at $25 with 600 mg EPA+DHA each = 36 g actives = $0.69 per gram.
The "more expensive" one is actually cheaper. Our cost-per-dose ranking does this math for you.
Covered nutrients: omega-3
See the live cost-per-dose data
This guide is editorial — the prices below are real and current.
Frequently asked questions
How much EPA and DHA should I take per day?
General guidance is roughly 250-500 mg of combined EPA + DHA per day for healthy adults, and the FDA advises supplement labels not recommend more than 2 g/day of EPA + DHA (higher amounts for triglycerides are used under medical care), per the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. The key is to read the EPA + DHA line on the Supplement Facts panel, not the total fish-oil milligrams on the front. Not medical advice.
Why is the 1000 mg on the front of the fish oil bottle misleading?
Because that number is total fish oil, and only a fraction of it is the active EPA and DHA. A '1000 mg' softgel might contain only 300 mg of actual EPA + DHA, so two bottles at the same front-label number can differ two- or three-fold in what matters. Always buy on EPA + DHA content — which is exactly what our cost-per-dose ranking normalises to.
Is triglyceride or ethyl ester fish oil better?
The triglyceride (rTG) form is somewhat better absorbed than the ethyl ester (EE) form, though both deliver EPA and DHA. EE is cheaper and concentrated; rTG costs a little more. Rather than pay a blanket premium, compare the real cost per gram of EPA + DHA between them — sometimes the concentrated EE still wins on value.
Deals on these nutrients
Nature's Truth, Fish Oil Quick Release Softgels Natural Lemon…
Cost per serving
$0.12
125 servings · ~125-day supply
Nature Made, Fish Oil Burp-Less, 1200 Mg, 60 Softgels
Cost per serving
$0.28
60 servings · ~60-day supply
Now Foods, Omega 3-6-9, 1000 mg, 100 Softgels
Cost per serving
$0.10
100 servings · ~100-day supply
Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega 2X
Cost per serving
$0.63
120 servings · ~120-day supply
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