Clinical Studies: Vegan Omega-3

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The research behind Vegan Omega-3

Guided by the science. Grown by nature.

Algae are where the DHA and EPA in fish begin, so Vegan Omega-3 takes them straight from algal oil: 300 mg of DHA and 100 mg of EPA in each two-softgel serving, in natural triglyceride form. It helps add direct long-chain omega-3s to a plant-forward routine and supports normal brain, heart and eye health.*

Each study below is published and linked, with who took part, what they took, how much, for how long and what the researchers found.

Softgels, one serving (two softgels, once a day): 1,000 mg algal oil (Schizochytrium sp.) in natural triglyceride form · 550 mg total omega-3 fatty acids, including 300 mg DHA and 100 mg EPA · 40 mg omega-6 fatty acids.

Why it is built this way

Straight from the algae

NIH's omega-3 fact sheet says microalgae originally make the DHA and EPA found in fish, and fish pick them up through the food chain. It also says the body converts ALA, the omega-3 in flax and chia, into EPA and DHA only in very limited amounts, with reported rates under 15%.[1] Our oil comes from algae and carries DHA and EPA themselves.

Natural triglyceride form

The DHA and EPA in our oil are in natural triglyceride form. The 2025 comparison of algal oil with fish oil tested two natural-triglyceride oils.[2]

DHA and EPA by name

The label lists 300 mg of DHA and 100 mg of EPA on their own lines, apart from the 1,000 mg of algal oil that carries them. The 2023 Spanish National Research Council trial gave 250 mg of algal DHA a day.[3] The 2015 San Diego study of vegans gave 254 mg of DHA and EPA combined.[4]

What the studies found

The big picture first. In 2017, researchers at Australia's University of Wollongong published a systematic review of algal DHA in vegetarians and vegans. Six studies qualified: four randomized controlled trials and two prospective cohort studies.[5] Every one reported that algal DHA raised DHA levels in the blood. The outcomes were blood DHA and the omega-3 index, the share of EPA and DHA among the fatty acids in red blood cell membranes.

Blood DHA and the omega-3 index

  • Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, 2023: 116 healthy young adults (vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters) took 250 mg a day of algal DHA and an olive-oil placebo for five weeks each, in a randomized, double-blind crossover; 98 were analyzed. Serum DHA rose compared with placebo in all three diet groups (p < 0.001), with the largest rise in vegans.[3]
  • University of San Diego, 2015: researchers measured the omega-3 index of 165 long-term vegans. The 46 whose index was under 4% took 254 mg a day of algae-based DHA and EPA for four months, and their average index rose from 3.1% to 4.8% (p = 0.009).[4]
  • Disclosure: Zamdeh Laboratories, which made the Madrid supplement, helped fund that trial with the Community of Madrid and the Spanish National Research Council, and the authors declared no conflicts. A co-author of the San Diego study is affiliated with OmegaQuant Analytics, a lab that offers omega-3 index testing.

What we say about Vegan Omega-3: it supports healthy omega-3 status when used consistently.*

Algal oil next to fish and salmon

  • 2008, 32 healthy adults aged 20 to 65: in a two-week randomized study, participants got 600 mg of DHA a day from algal-oil capsules or from cooked salmon. DHA rose by about 80% in plasma phospholipids and about 25% in red blood cells in both groups, and the authors called the two sources bioequivalent.[6] NIH's omega-3 fact sheet points to this study.[1]
  • 2025, adults with raised triglycerides: this paper re-analyzed plasma data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which 93 adults took algal oil, fish oil or a placebo oil for 14 weeks; 74 were analyzed. The algal oil supplied 1,772 mg of DHA and 656 mg of EPA a day, and the fish oil 820 mg of DHA and 1,156 mg of EPA, both as natural triglycerides. Adjusted for the amount taken, plasma DHA and EPA from the algal oil were statistically non-inferior to fish oil.[2]
  • Disclosure: five of the six authors of the 2025 paper work for dsm-firmenich, the trial's registered sponsor, and the sixth ran the statistics under contract to the company. The algal oil came from DSM Nutritional Products.

What we say: it helps add direct long-chain omega-3s to a plant-forward routine.*

Brain and eyes

NIH's omega-3 fact sheet notes that DHA is especially concentrated in the brain and the retina.[1]

What we say: it supports normal brain, heart and eye health.*

Every product's published third-party test results are on our testing page.

See Vegan Omega-3 →

Sources

Last reviewed: September 23, 2026.

  1. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated August 22, 2025. ods.od.nih.gov.
  2. Bailey E, et al. Comparative Bioavailability of DHA and EPA from Microalgal and Fish Oil in Adults. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025;26(19):9343. PubMed 41096614. doi:10.3390/ijms26199343.
  3. García-Maldonado E, et al. Changes in fatty acid levels after consumption of a novel docosahexaenoic supplement from algae: a crossover randomized controlled trial in omnivorous, lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans. European Journal of Nutrition. 2023;62(4):1691-1705. PubMed 36418565. doi:10.1007/s00394-022-03050-3.
  4. Sarter B, et al. Blood docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in vegans: Associations with age and gender and effects of an algal-derived omega-3 fatty acid supplement. Clinical Nutrition. 2015;34(2):212-218. PubMed 24679552. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2014.03.003.
  5. Craddock JC, et al. Algal supplementation of vegetarian eating patterns improves plasma and serum docosahexaenoic acid concentrations and omega-3 indices: a systematic literature review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2017;30(6):693-699. PubMed 28417511. doi:10.1111/jhn.12474.
  6. Arterburn LM, et al. Algal-oil capsules and cooked salmon: nutritionally equivalent sources of docosahexaenoic acid. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2008;108(7):1204-1209. PubMed 18589030. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.04.020.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.