Last modified on October 23rd, 2023
Nordic Naturals is one of the most respected supplement companies in the world. Ultimate Omega and Prenatal DHA are two of their most well-known products, but they also have other great options. Below, we cover everything you should know about whether or not this is a good company, in our opinion, and we highlight their five best products.
Company Background
One thing we realized when starting this site is that not every supplement is the same. It’s important to choose supplements from companies that truly stand behind their products and have a great reputation.
Nordic Naturals is a good example of this.
The company is best known for its award-winning omega-3 fish oil and carefully formulated and tested products.
Joar Opheim created the company in Norway. He came to California in the 80s to complete his MBA, and he couldn’t find the high-quality fish oil he was used to at home. He used fish oil regularly to help with the pain of an old injury.
He would have to bring Norwegian fish oil back and forth with him during each trip home.
That led Joar to want to create a truly great fish oil product and bring it to the world.
Since that time, Joar has patented a number of his fish oil technologies. The key focuses of all products are purity, taste, freshness, and sustainability.
The company is also heavily committed to social responsibility.
Fish oils are often selected for independent research and peer-reviewed clinical studies. For example, Duke, Harvard, Columbia, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have done research studies using this Fish Oil. Over 40 published studies are using this specific brand, and dozens are in progress.
How Are Nordic Naturals the Best?
Below are some specific reasons the brand offers one of the best fish oil products, if not perhaps the best. We did some pretty in-depth research to determine how the brand excels.
International Pharmaceutical Research
There aren’t consistent, government-mandated fish oil standards in the U.S. With that in mind, the company uses the European Pharmacopoeia Standard (EPS), and they also use the voluntary standards set by the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3.
These standards ensure that each product is high-quality and doesn’t have high levels of heavy metals, peroxides, dioxins, or PCBs.
All oils this company uses don’t show any detectable heavy metals when tested.
Freshness
The freshness of a fish oil product is important because this is how you know the product will be effective.
The brand uses a manufacturing process with no oxygen to maintain freshness and keep its peroxide values as low as possible. Peroxide values are freshness indicators; the lower the oil, the fresher.
Purity
Each batch of products is third-party tested for heavy metals and other environmental toxins. Each product exceeds international standards for quality and is hundreds of times purer than the fish.
Sustainability
The company uses a quality control process that carefully chooses the species of fish they use. They are low in toxins while being high in healthy fats. They choose all their fish from clean waters, which are sustainably sourced. None of the fish used in their products are endangered, either.
They select Arctic cod from Norway and anchovies and sardines from the Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans.
The company has a LEED-Gold Certified corporate headquarters, using eco-friendly packaging and sustainably sourced products. They follow regulated fishing practices and habitat protection.
Manufacturing
Nordic Naturals uses a specialized manufacturing process to maintain quality and purity. They don’t use chemicals or excessive heat because that allows them to maintain as much of the healthy benefits of the fish oil as possible.
They use a purification process to remove potential toxins from the environment and saturated fats.
Optimal Absorbability
If you’re familiar with any of our reviews, you know that we frequently emphasize the importance of a highly absorbable product. Otherwise, you’re wasting money on supplements and not getting many benefits.
The way the products are created is all geared toward optimal absorption.
The company produces its formulas in triglyceride form, which is how they improve absorption. Many competitors make fish oils in the ethyl ester molecular form, but their way of doing it improves absorption by as much as 70%.
The Benefits of Fish Oil
Fish oil supplements are incredibly popular, and for good reason. Fish oil is oil or fat extracted from the tissue of fish. It’s advised that you consume fish at least once or twice a week for the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
Many people don’t get the recommended amount, so an omega-3 supplement can fill in the gaps.
The following are benefits of omega-3s.
- Support cardiovascular health: Fish oils can reduce many risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks, lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and plaque in the arteries.
- Mental health: Your brain is around 60% fat, and a lot of that is omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats help you maintain normal brain function. Research is increasingly finding that people with certain mental disorders have lower levels of omega-3 in their blood. You may be able to improve psychiatric symptoms with a fish oil supplement.
- Weight loss: Taking a fish oil supplement may help improve your body composition and potentially help with weight loss.
- Reduced inflammation: Inflammation is the root of many chronic and serious diseases. Fish oil can help with chronic inflammation. It may reduce the production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines. Fish oil supplements can also reduce pain and joint stiffness.
- Liver fat: Non-alcohol fatty liver disease is growing in frequency. Fish oil can reduce liver inflammation and reduce symptoms of NAFLD.
- Autoimmune disease: Likely because of their anti-inflammatory properties, research has found fish oil can help with autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
The Best Nordic Naturals Products
Below are our picks for the best products from the company and the details of each.
Ultimate Omega
- Top-selling omega-3 supplement on Amazon
- Fresh lemon taste with no fishy burps
- High-concentration omega-3
- Optimal absorption
- Purity guaranteed
- Non-GMO
- No gluten
- Comes from wild-caught fish
Ultimate Omega is the top-selling product, and it’s got tens of thousands of reviews on Amazon and an average of five stars. Ultimate Omega is Amazon’s number-one bestseller among all omega-3 nutritional supplements. Of all the reviews for this product, 86% are five stars, which is the best of any supplement we’ve seen.
The Ultimate Omega supplement has EPA and DHA, fatty acids in fish oil that help support immune, brain, heart, and eye health. The formula meets the American Heart Association’s recommendations for a heart-healthy diet.
This supplement can also support a healthy mood.
According to customer reviews, Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega has various benefits. For example, many people use it for conditions like lupus and chronic pain and feel it helps them significantly.
There are some customer reviews of Ultimate Omega where the person leaving the review says they’ve used the product for decades.
Many say that even after using other fish oils, Ultimate Omega is the product they always return to.
Other benefits mentioned in user reviews include improvement of dry eyes, lower triglycerides, and less joint pain.
Prenatal DHA
- Average of nearly five stars on Amazon
- Supports brain development in babies during pregnancy
- Can also be used during lactation
- Contains 830 mg of omega 3 per serving
- It also has 400 IU D3 per serving
- Designated as the official omega-3 of the American Pregnancy Association
The Prenatal DHA is another wonderful and top-rated product. First, research shows that when mothers have healthy DHA levels during pregnancy and breastfeeding, it promotes brain and visual development in their babies. A developing baby’s DHA requirements go up tremendously throughout a pregnancy. DHA concentrates in the retina and brain, a key part of all the cell membranes in those locations.
Vitamin D3 is added to help with the immune system, mood, and bone health during pregnancy.
This pure fish oil is recognized as the official omega-3 of the American Pregnancy Association.
According to user reviews, this is a great product that’s easy to swallow and, for many users, is also burpless.
DHA is a specific type of omega-3 fat, and it’s found in oily fish, including anchovies. Your body makes only a small amount of DHA, so you need to get it from food or supplements. DHA and EPA can support brain function, reduce inflammation, and lower the risk of chronic illnesses.
Research has shown that DHA supplements may reduce the risk of preterm birth, and in mothers, they may help improve depressive moods.
Ultimate Omega-D3
- Includes the popular Ultimate Omega formulation plus fish oil
- Contains EPA and DHA
- Has 1000 IU of vitamin D3
- Added D3 helps with mood, joint, and immune system health
- Can improve calcium absorption
- It has a pleasant lemon taste
- Most find that it’s easy to swallow
According to reviews of Ultimate Omega-D3, this is another great product. For example, we read one review where someone experienced noticeably better digestion. They stopped taking this product, and the digestive problems returned.
User reviews say this fish oil supplement reduces anxiety symptoms and improves their skin.
For people with vitamin D deficiency, they noticed benefits that were proven in their repeat labs.
Children’s DHA
- Promotes healthy brain development in children
- No artificial colors
- Gluten and dairy-free
- GMO-free
- Balanced source of DHA and EPA
- Supports learning in children
- Made from 100% wild arctic cod
DHA and omega-3s are important for children. They support healthy brain development, learning, and immune system function.
Some parents use omega-3 supplements for specific conditions in their children.
For example, there’s research that fish oil can reduce asthma and ADHD symptoms in children. These supplements may help children get better-quality sleep, and in studies, children who have a lot of omega-3 fatty acids had improvements in memory and verbal learning development. Fish oil may also help improve mood in children.
According to user reviews, Children’s DHA is an amazing product, and many users say it’s significantly helped their children’s focus and attention span. According to reviews, users also say it helps their children go to sleep more easily, and it’s helped some children with speech issues and verbalization.
Algae DHA
- Plant-based DHA
- Top-rated
- Provides support for the brain, nervous system, and eyes
- Helps vegans and vegetarians meet their omega-3 needs
- Certified vegan by the American Vegetarian Association
- Purity guaranteed
We love the Algae DHA because it gives a plant-based solution to raising omega-3 levels. This vegan and vegetarian-friendly omega-3 supplement are third-party tested to ensure it’s free of environmental toxins, including heavy metals.
The algae oil in Algae DHA comes from marine microalgae that uniquely produce DHA, and plant-based diets may create DHA deficiency, so this product is great.
According to user reviews, this product doesn’t have a fish taste, and it’s a natural way to get healthy fats instead of synthetic fats. Specific benefits users say they notice include reduced fatigue and better memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following answers some common questions people have about Nordic Naturals products.
Where Can I Buy Nordic Naturals?
All of the products we reviewed above are available on Amazon. You can also buy the brand at various retailers, including CVS, Rite Aid, GNC, and Kroger. The products are available at many local vitamin and supplement retailers too.
Where Are the Products Made?
All of the fish oil used in these products is made in Norway. Nordic Naturals has a manufacturing plant in Arctic Norway called Nordic Pharma. The facility is specifically designed to create pharmaceutical-grade products.
Then, all the liquid and soft gel products are bottled in Southern California, and gummies are made in the United States.
What Kind of Gelatin is Used?
The gelatin used in the products protects the fish oil from being oxidized and damaged. That means you get a fresher, more effective product with a longer shelf life.
It’s usually FDA-approved bovine gelatin. The gelatin is from natural fruit flavoring in the fruit-flavored products from Nordic Naturals. In the gummies, the gelatin is FDA-approved porcine.
Why Do the Nordic Naturals DHA Say Consult a Physician If Expecting Surgery?
You should be aware of this risk with any fish oil supplement—it can act as a blood thinner. If you have an upcoming surgery, your doctor might advise you to stop using a fish oil supplement, whether it’s this one or another brand, to reduce bleeding risk.
Why Is This Brand So Popular?
There are many reasons these products are better than many other fish oil brands and products.
First, the company has a history of going back nearly 25 years.
The company uses fish from only the world’s cleanest waters, and they don’t use artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors in the products. They also bottle all their fish oil in an oxygen-free environment for freshness.
Nordic Naturals offers certificates of analysis for all their products for complete transparency, and they independently purity test their products.
Final Thoughts
Nordic Naturals is a top brand for fish oil, and we highly recommend their products. They are known for effectiveness, quality, and purity, and the brand has one of the best reputations in the supplement world.
Ashley Sutphin Watkins
Our Editorial Process
All of our reviews are completely unbiased. We have an in-depth review and ranking methodology for each of our products. We base our reviews on:
- Peer-reviewed scientific studies and research
- Real customer reviews
- Our own experience using products
- Price and availability
Whenever possible, we review and rank products that we actually use to provide a better understanding of what you can expect.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products or services that we trust and believe will add value to our readers. Your support helps keep this website running and allows us to continue providing valuable content. Thank you for your support!"
