Which Has More Omega-3, Nordic Naturals or Nature Made?

Per 2-softgel serving, Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon lists 1,280 mg total omega-3 and Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg lists 720 mg total omega-3, according to their Supplement Facts panels. The '1200 mg' on Nature Made's front is fish oil per softgel, not omega-3.

Both products are fish oil softgels sold as dietary supplements, and their Supplement Facts panels differ in both directions. The sections below compare them factor by factor, starting with omega-3 and EPA and DHA, then fat, cholesterol and other ingredients, and closing with what the labels do not disclose.

Per 2-softgel serving	Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon	Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg
Total omega-3	1,280 mg	720 mg
EPA	650 mg	Not disclosed
DHA	450 mg	Not disclosed
EPA + DHA combined	1,100 mg	Not disclosed
Calories	20	35
Total fat	2 g (3% DV)	3 g
Saturated fat	0 g	1 g
Cholesterol	5 mg	25 mg
Other ingredients	Anchovy and sardine fish oil, gelatin, glycerin, water, natural lemon flavor, d-alpha tocopherol, rosemary extract	Gelatin, glycerin, water, tocopherols

Key takeaways

• Nordic Naturals lists 1,280 mg total omega-3 per 2 softgels. Nature Made lists 720 mg per 2 softgels.
• Nordic Naturals lists 1,100 mg EPA+DHA per serving. Nature Made's EPA and DHA split was not disclosed on its label.
• Nature Made lists more calories (35 vs 20), total fat (3 g vs 2 g), saturated fat (1 g vs 0 g) and cholesterol (25 mg vs 5 mg) per serving.
• Both products are dietary supplements, and FDA does not approve supplements for safety, effectiveness or labeling before they are sold.

How much omega-3 is in a 2-softgel serving of Nordic Naturals vs Nature Made?

Per 2-softgel serving, Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon lists 1,280 mg total omega-3, and Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg lists 720 mg total omega-3. The Nordic figure is about 1.8 times the Nature Made figure for the same serving size.

The Nordic product is a 120-softgel bottle (UPC 7 68990 02790 1), and the Nature Made product is a 100-softgel bottle (UPC 0 31604 01328 8). Dividing each softgel total by two gives 60 two-softgel servings for the Nordic bottle and 50 for the Nature Made bottle.

Nordic's suggested use is two softgels daily with food, or two softgels twice daily for 'ultimate support,' according to its Supplement Facts record. Nature Made's directions are not quoted here, so check the bottle in hand. Nature Made's panel and claim wording are in its Supplement Facts record.

Why does Nature Made's front say 1200 mg when its omega-3 is 360 mg per softgel?

The front label reads 'Fish Oil 1200 mg (360 mg Omega-3).' That describes a single softgel: 1200 mg of fish oil, of which 360 mg is omega-3.

The Supplement Facts panel for the 2-softgel serving lists 2,400 mg fish oil providing 720 mg total omega-3. Dividing by two softgels gives the same 360 mg of omega-3 per softgel that the front label states.

Omega-3 amounts should be read from the Supplement Facts panel, where the serving size is stated. The front label names the product and its fish oil weight, while the panel gives the omega-3 for the serving.

Is 1200 mg fish oil the same as 1200 mg omega-3?

No. In this product, 1200 mg is the fish oil per softgel, and the omega-3 within that softgel is 360 mg. Fish oil is the whole oil, and omega-3 fatty acids are only a portion of it, so the two numbers measure different things. Nordic's panel states its omega-3 directly, at 1,280 mg per 2 softgels.

How much EPA and DHA is in each product per serving?

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon lists 650 mg EPA and 450 mg DHA per 2 softgels, for 1,100 mg EPA+DHA combined. The EPA and DHA split for Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg was not disclosed on its label. Its panel lists only the 720 mg total omega-3 per 2-softgel serving, and the NIH DSLD record for that product likewise lists only the 720 mg total.

If the split matters for your reading, the current bottle label is the place to check.

EPA and DHA are named separately because the FDA health claim discussed below is written around them. The Nordic combined figure of 1,100 mg is the number to compare against that claim threshold, and the Nature Made panel gives no combined EPA+DHA number.

How do fat, saturated fat and calories differ per 2-softgel serving?

Per 2 softgels, Nature Made lists 35 calories and 3 g total fat, while Nordic Naturals lists 20 calories and 2 g total fat (3% Daily Value).

• Saturated fat: Nordic Naturals 0 g; Nature Made 1 g.
• Trans fat: Nordic Naturals 0 g; Nature Made trans fat was not disclosed.
• Polyunsaturated fat: Nature Made 1 g; not disclosed for Nordic Naturals.
• Monounsaturated fat: Nature Made 0.5 g; not disclosed for Nordic Naturals.
• Total carbohydrates and protein: Nature Made 1 g each; not disclosed for Nordic Naturals.

Because the Nordic panel does not list every line, no full side-by-side comparison of those minor fat and macronutrient lines is drawn. Read both panels for the complete picture.

How much cholesterol is in each product per 2-softgel serving?

Nordic Naturals lists 5 mg cholesterol per 2 softgels, and Nature Made lists 25 mg per 2 softgels. Both amounts come from each product's Supplement Facts panel, and the difference is 20 mg per serving.

Cholesterol amounts for other bottle sizes or manufacturing lots were not disclosed, so confirm against the bottle you have.

What other ingredients are in each product?

Nordic Naturals lists purified deep sea fish oil from anchovies and sardines, gelatin, glycerin, water, natural lemon flavor, d-alpha tocopherol and rosemary extract. Nature Made lists gelatin, glycerin, water and tocopherols.

• Fish source: Nordic Naturals names anchovies and sardines; the Nature Made fish species was not disclosed.
• Flavor: Nordic Naturals uses natural lemon flavor; Nature Made states no artificial flavors.
• Antioxidant-related ingredients: Nordic Naturals lists d-alpha tocopherol and rosemary extract; Nature Made lists tocopherols, which are forms of vitamin E.
• Other label statements: Nature Made states no color added and gluten free. A gluten statement for Nordic Naturals is not disclosed.

Nature Made's panel also carries 'Purified to remove mercury' and the 'USP Dietary Supplement Verified' mark. These are label statements, and this comparison does not assess the testing behind them.

Are these two fish oils regulated differently under US rules?

Both are sold as dietary supplements, and the same federal framework for supplements applies to both. FDA states: 'The FDA does NOT have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness, or to approve their labeling, before the supplements are sold to the public.' The agency also states that companies are responsible for ensuring safety.

The label differences in this comparison come from each company's own formulation and claims, not from a different legal category.

How do the health claims and the FDA's 0.8 g EPA+DHA threshold compare?

Nordic Naturals' 1,100 mg EPA+DHA per serving is above the 0.8 g per serving figure FDA cites. Nature Made's panel gives only a 720 mg total omega-3 figure, which is below 0.8 g, but the threshold refers to EPA and DHA combined, and that product's split is not disclosed. The 0.8 g figure is one enforcement-discretion factor for FDA's newer qualified health claim on EPA and DHA and hypertension and coronary heart disease. It is not a general threshold for all supplements, and it describes a condition tied to that claim, not a ranking of product quality. Nature Made's 720 mg being below 0.8 g does not imply mislabeling.

On June 19, 2019, FDA announced new qualified health claims for EPA and DHA and hypertension and coronary heart disease. One enforcement-discretion factor is that labeled supplements 'contain at least 0.8 g EPA and DHA (combined total) per serving.' FDA also called the blood-pressure evidence 'inconclusive and highly inconsistent.'

No health claim appears on the Nordic Naturals record. Nature Made's label carries an older qualified claim: 'Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.' That is a coronary heart disease claim, not the newer 0.8 g hypertension claim. Whether that claim complies with current requirements is not assessed here.

Nordic Naturals or Nature Made: how do the panels compare overall?

The label facts do not establish that either product is better overall, because the panels differ in both directions. Nordic Naturals lists more total omega-3 and EPA+DHA per serving, along with lower calories, total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Whether either difference matters depends on what a reader looks for on a label, and the panels alone do not settle that. This comparison does not rank either product as healthier or cleaner.

How do you read omega-3 mg, EPA/DHA and cholesterol on any fish oil label?

Start with the Supplement Facts panel, confirm the serving size, then find total omega-3, EPA, DHA and cholesterol on that panel rather than on the front. The same steps work for most fish oil labels.

• Serving size: both products here use 2 softgels per serving.
• Total omega-3 per serving: 1,280 mg for Nordic Naturals, 720 mg for Nature Made.
• Fish oil amount: can be much larger than omega-3, as with Nature Made's 2,400 mg.
• EPA and DHA: check whether each appears on its own line.
• Fat, saturated fat and cholesterol per serving.
• Calories per serving and total softgel count.
• Claim wording and any test or certification statement printed on the label.

For another supplement label comparison that includes Nature Made, see Doctor's Best vs Nature Made Magnesium: Both 200 mg. For a related look at whether a supplement contains what its label says, see Creatine Gummies vs Powder: Do Gummies Have What the Label Says?.

Which label facts are not disclosed for these two products?

Several details are not disclosed on these labels, so this article leaves them out rather than estimating them.

• The EPA and DHA split for Nature Made Fish Oil 1200 mg.
• The molecular form (triglyceride or ethyl ester) of either softgel product.
• Third-party test results or certificate numbers for Nordic Naturals.
• The fish species for Nature Made.
• Oxidation or freshness values, such as TOTOX or peroxide values, for either product.
• Price per mg of omega-3.

This comparison does not assess whether Nature Made's coronary heart disease claim wording complies with current requirements. It also does not claim any clinical outcome from either brand.

Check the current bottle label and the manufacturer's product page, because listings and formulations can change. These figures describe what a label says, not how any person will respond to the product.

To read any supplement or food label ingredient by ingredient, scan it with Aurascan.