Data published in Functional Foods in Health and Disease indicated that markers of inflammation also decreased more with the whole salmon oil.
The study used Hofseth BioCare’s OmeGo, which is upcycled from the by-products of parent-company Hofseth International’s farmed salmon in Norway. The ingredient is minimally processed with low levels of oxidation and free fatty acids. It does not undergo fractionation or concentration of the EPA and DHA omega-3s as may be performed in the production of other fish oils.
“The results of this study indicate the importance of limited processing to replicate the health benefits of whole-food nutrition by supplementation,” wrote scientists from Hofseth BioCare and More og Romsdal Hospital Trust.
“In this regard, a whole salmon oil, produced from the enzymatic hydrolysis of fresh salmon, increased the O3I and reduced key inflammatory markers in the blood to a significantly greater extent than a concentrated omega-3 oil despite the latter containing 2.5-fold more EPA and DHA (the fatty acids targeted in the O3I).”
The study was funded by Hofseth BioCare and performed by Alethios.
An indicator of better overall health
The Omega-3 Index measures the level of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA+DHA, in red blood cell membranes expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids.
An Omega-3 Index in the range of 8% to 12% is one indicator of better overall health. As a part of an overall healthy lifestyle, an Omega-3 Index in this range may help to maintain heart, brain, eye and joint health.
Dr. Crawford Currie, HBC’s head of medical R&D and lead author on the new paper, told NutraIngredients: “It’s great to have this study published and show why minimal processing of freshly fileted fish is central to providing supplementation with health benefits akin to eating fish. It also comes at a great time when there’s a growing understanding of the need for improved nutritional strategies, both in terms of nutrients and bioactives, to enable healthy aging with a reduced risk of ill health and enhanced longevity.”
Dr. Currie added that the drive to limit the consumption of ultra-processed foods, with their link to inflammation, metabolic perturbation and chronic disease states, highlights the need for sustainable choices that can help support better health. He added that the average omega-3 level is 3.1% in the United States and that the strong link of a low O3 index to increased morbidity and mortality is “pretty scary”.
“We think that OmeGo therefore provides a highly effective means to help address the chronic underconsumption of dietary omega-3 fatty acids. Basically, the oil’s natural food matrix enhances bioavailability and bioactivity of the oil compared to processed omega-3 oils,” he said.
Study details
Eighty-four healthy people (average age 52.9) were recruited to participate in the randomized, active-controlled interventional study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either OmeGo (100 mg EPA+DHA per day) or a commercial omega-3 oil (250 mg of EPA+DHA) for 14 weeks. The baseline Omega-3 Index was 5.25% in both groups.
Results showed that the Omega-3 Index in the omega-3 group increased to 5.55% at the end of the supplementation period and continued to rise in the week after supplementation stopped to finish at 5.62%. This corresponded to a 7% increase from baseline.
On the other hand, the Omega-3 Index of the OmeGo group increased by 10% to 5.76% after 14 weeks, and increased further to 5.88% a week later. This represented an increase of 12%.
“Despite OmeGo containing 2.5-fold less EPA and DHA, the increase in O3I from baseline was 1.7-fold greater than the active comparator, corresponding to a 4.3-fold greater increase in O3I per 100mg of EPA+DHA,” Dr. Currie and his co-authors reported.
Moreover, markers of inflammation, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) all decreased more in the OmeGo group.
“The improvements in O3I and anti-inflammatory markers with OmeGo in the present study align with prior investigations examining the oil’s natural bioactivity and the negative impact of processing,” the researchers stated.
Dr. Currie added: “The main data we have now [for OmeGo] is anti-inflammatory (hsCRP, IL-6 and TNFa which are closely associated with chronic diseases and inflammaging) and antioxidant effects (reducing oxidized LDL, the initiator of atherosclerosis) greater than processed oils with higher levels of EPA and DHA, immune health benefits (recovery from acute viral infection) and improved sleep.”
Source: Functional Foods in Health and Disease, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 3. doi: 10.31989/ffhd.v16i3.1947. “Utilising the omega-3 index to assess the relative bioimpact of a whole”. Authors: C. Currie, et al.
