How do I know that Metagenics marine oil is high quality?
Metagenics unconditionally guarantees the quality and purity of our concentrated EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) formulas made with marine oil. Each formula contains only the highest quality, purity-certified omega-3 fatty acids that meet or exceed label claim (milligram, not just area percent). These formulas are also enhanced with antioxidants to aid product stability.
The exceptional manufacturing and purification technology for our marine oils produces a product that exceeds the highest quality standards available for fish oil. It also exceeds the quality criteria for the Council for Responsible Nutrition's Omega-3 Monograph (the industry's current voluntary standard for purity). Our dedication to every detail and exhaustive testing includes:

• In-house and third-party (independent) testing of raw materials (marine oil) for heavy metals and other harmful contaminants
• In-house and third-party testing of EPA/DHA content of final product
• In-house testing for yeasts, molds, and harmful bacteria
• In-house testing for disintegration time and shelf stability

How do I order Metagenics nutritional products?
Metagenics formulas are only available through licensed healthcare practitioners. Patients may find a practitioner.

How do I find a Metagenics practitioner near me?
Simply click here to locate a health care practitioner near you who offers Metagenics nutraceuticals and medical foods or to find a certified FirstLine Therapy practitioner who offers therapeutic lifestyle changes programs.

Do you conduct third-party (independent) testing for verifying marine oil purity?
EVERY batch of our marine oil concentrates is assayed by one of the top independent testing labs in the world and currently the world market leader in testing for dioxins. Testing every batch of concentrated oil prior to bottling or encapsulation is highly unusual and Metagenics may be the only professional nutraceutical company to practice this added safety measure. Checks for numerous contaminants are conducted including:

• 220 pesticides
• 6 heavy metals
• 7 markers of PCBs
• 15 dioxins & furans
• 12 dioxin-like PCBs

How do I contact Metagenics?
If you have questions about a specific Metagenics product or how to use it, please consult your health care practitioner. For other questions or comments, please Contact us Online.

Does Metagenics fish oil contain mercury or other contaminants?
We use fish oil from fresh, clean, deep-sea, wild-caught, cold-water fish with lower risk of contamination. In addition, our purity-certified fish oils undergo a proprietary refinement process to remove heavy metals and other environmental pollutants. An advanced molecular distillation process of every batch ensures the highest purity and batch consistency. And every batch is thoroughly tested for impurities at every step, from raw material to packaging. Our dedication to exhaustive third-party and in-house testing enable us to make the following guarantees:

• Mercury—less than 5 ppb (below detection limit)
• Lead—less than 20 ppb (below detection limit)
• Dioxins and Furans TEQ—less than 0.5 ppt
• PCBs TEQ—less than 1 ppt
• Also tested for yeasts, molds, and bacteria

What makes Metagenics different from most nutritional supplement companies?
A lot of things make us stand above other companies—a focus on patient health, quality manufacturing, ingredient testing, safety reviews, clinical testing, scientific research, unique formulas, and more. For specifics, check out the Quality Difference section.

What are the advantages of choosing EPA-DHA oil formulas from Metagenics?
Not all EPA-DHA oil formulas are the same. The advantages of our premium, purity-certified EPA-DHA oil formulas include:

• Third-party, purity-certified
• Natural lemon flavor
• Concentrated levels of specific omega-3s
• Custom made in Norway
• Low cost per concentrated dose

Is the Metagenics marine oil pharmaceutical grade, ultra pure, and/or ultra refined?
There is no unified definition for these terms. To date, the only internationally recognized, minimal quality standards are based on the EU CRN monograph. "Pharmaceutical grade" is a marketing term often used to imply a higher standard of purity. While there are pharmaceutical grades established for some chemicals, there is no such grade for marine oils. However, our fish oils are produced in Norway and the manufacturing plant is licensed for pharmaceuticals by the Norwegian Medicines Agency, Norway's equivalent to the Food and Drug Administration. (There are only 3 pharmaceutical licensed omega-3 manufacturing facilities in the world.) Under the accepted market definitions, Metagenics offers "ultra pure" and "ultra refined" marine oil formulas that meet a higher standard of quality.

Is the Metagenics fish oil collected from Norwegian fish?
The fish oil in Metagenics formulas is processed in Norway, but the fish may also come from elsewhere. Fish oil resellers may imply that their product is made exclusively from fish from Norwegian waters. In truth, the majority of wild-caught fish for supplements comes from off the coast of South America (Peru and Chile), with smaller amounts coming from Europe, Africa, and the United States. What is the key takeaway point? Don't be misled by slick marketing tactics. The finest raw material sources start with fresh, clean, deep-sea, wild-caught, cold-water fish (from Norway or elsewhere); the oils from these fish should then be further purified through advanced processes to remove any concern of harmful levels of potential contaminants.

Is Metagenics Omega-3 oil clinically tested?
Thousands of studies have been conducted on the potential health benefits of fish or essential fatty acids from fish oil (particularly EPA and DHA) in human health. As a research-based company dedicated to patient health, Metagenics focuses on maintaining a variety of purity-certified, highly concentrated formulas to best suit individual health needs. These advanced formulas have been successfully utilized in documented case studies at the FMRC[link] and are recommended by health care professionals worldwide.

Why can't I just take flaxseed oil?
Flaxseed oil has been shown to benefit health in several areas, and is an important source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), another omega-3 essential fatty acid that is the "parent" for EPA and DHA. While ALA can be converted in the body to EPA and DHA, this process is relatively slow and unreliable in humans—and typically yields only minimal amounts of either EPA or DHA. To achieve similar amounts of EPA and DHA as found in supplements from marine sources (that have already converted ALA to EPA and DHA), an exponentially larger amount of plant-derived ALA would have to be consumed. ALA, EPA, and DHA have each demonstrated unique health support applications. Therefore, substituting flaxseed oil where concentrated EPA or DHA is recommended may not produce expected clinical outcomes.

Which is better—ethyl ester or triglyceride form?
Both forms provide excellent health support, and clinical experience has shown no difference. While dietary fats, such as those in fish, are naturally found in a triglyceride form, it's not the form our body absorbs. Triglyceride marine oil must first be digested by the body. Similarly, the molecular distillation process for manufacturing and purifying marine oils "digests" the oils and converts them into the ethyl ester form. All purified and concentrated marine oils are converted to ethyl ester forms during processing. If desired, an additional processing step can reassemble the oils back into the triglyceride form. The primary benefit of this step is for stability of the oil in lieu of a capsule, such as in liquids where the oil is more vulnerable to oxidation. This reconverted triglyceride form must still be broken down (digested) prior to absorption. Processed triglyceride form marine oil does not mean a more "natural" oil. Furthermore, unprocessed oils in triglyceride form may contain impurities that "predigested" ethyl ester forms of fish oil do not. A majority of marine oil studies have been conducted using the ethyl ester form, so this extra processing step to assure safety does not appear to detract from its health support potential.

How does a TOTOX level predict rancidity? And does Metagenics test for it?
Rancidity is immediately noticeable by smell or taste-no sophisticated test required. Nevertheless, TOTOX levels are often quoted as an indicator of marine oil freshness, which is partially true. But oxidative values are only one set of parameters in determining the quality or rancidity of marine oil. Oxidative measures include peroxide, anisidine, and/or TOTOX ("total oxidation"—a calculated expression of anisidine value + 2x peroxide value).

Marine oils with high oxidative values will likely have strong odor and poor taste, but so can marine oils with low values (due to degraded components during oil decomposition that are undetectable in oxidative tests). Metagenics marine oils are tested for peroxide and anisidine levels (which may be used to calculate TOTOX) after manufacture of the oil—prior to adding flavor and/or encapsulation—and safeguarded at every step thereafter. For added insurance, Metagenics also repeats peroxide assays after final processing (capsulation, bottling), as these tests detect the first compounds of oxidation (i.e., hydroperoxides) and validate that no oxidation occurred during final processing to degrade the purity of the oils.

Also note that natural antioxidants (e.g., mixed tocopherols, rosemary) are added to each formula to maintain stability over the product's shelf life. In addition, we provide proper storage guidelines on the product labels for all marine oil supplements to maintain product quality.

Why add lemon flavor?
Even the cleanest marine oil carries a slightly detectable "fishy" taste that might prevent product use and clinical outcomes. No flavor, however, could mask the taste or smell of rancidity.