Monday, March 11, 2013

WHICH OMEGA 3 PRODUCT IS BEST?

WHICH PRODUCT IS BEST?

CAPSULES

1) Minami MorEPA Chewy (& Vitamin C) 60 softgels
Price: €21.99 (36c per capsule)
Flavour: Orange
Recommended age: 5+
Amount of DHA: 56mg per capsule
Amount of EPA: 254mg per capsule
Kids verdict: "Yummy, just like oranges"
Mum's verdict: Their favourite - I have to hide them so they don’t eat all of them at once! They are expensive, but the kids love them and they are the highest in EPA and have vitamin C as well.

2) It's a Paradox (45 soft capsules)
Price: €14.99 (33c per capsule)
Flavour: Lemon
Recommended age: 5 years +
Amount of DHA: 240mg per capsule
Amount of EPA: 240mg per capsule
Kids verdict: "Ok, taste quite nice"
Mum's verdict: Took some getting used to the sharp lemon taste, but they like them now. Expensive but I found a pharmacist selling them at an introductory half price. Also contains small amounts of Vitamin D and E. There's a lot of fancy packaging (a screw-top tin inside a nice box) - I’d prefer them to keep the packaging simple and put more chews in as 45 doesn’t go very far.

3) Boots Kids Chewable 30 capsules
Price: €4.99 (16c per capsule *most economical*)
Flavour: Orange
Recommended age: 3+
Amount of DHA: 29mg per 1 chew
Amount of EPA: 116mg per 1 chew
Kids verdict: "Nice, easy to chew"
Mum's verdict: Also contains vitamin A, C, D & E so an all round multi-vit for your kids. Not a bad amount of EPA per capsule considering cost. Kids do seem to prefer orange taste.

4) Minami MorEPA Mini Junior 60 softgels
Price: €21.99 (36c per capsule)
Flavour: Strawberry
Recommended age: 5+
Amount of DHA: 54mg per capsule
Amount of EPA: 245mg per capsule
Kids verdict: "Nice, can I have another?"
Mum's verdict: High in EPA like its sister product but might not appeal to some kids as they look like adult Omega 3 tablets and you have to bite through the hard skin which takes a while to be chewed and swallowed. Not fishy taste though. Label needs to be clearer as age not listed on the packet.

5) Equazen eyeQ Children's Chews 60 capsules
Price: €11.99 (20cents per capsule)
Flavour: Strawberry
Recommended age: 3+
Amount of DHA: 29mg per 1 chew
Amount of EPA: 93mg per 1 chew
Kids verdict: "Bit sweet but OK"
Mum's verdict: Shiny packaging that catches your eye first in pharmacies. But the DHA value is low. Equazen sister product is a liquid bottle which contains the same amount of Omega 3, costing €14.99 for a 200ml bottle.

6) Bassets Early Health Plus Omega 3 (30 chewy pastilles) + ACD&E Vitamins
Price: €7.79 (26c per pastille)
Flavour: Orange & Lemon or Summer Fruit
Recommended age: 3+
Amount of DHA: 100mg per pastille
Amount of EPA: 6mg per pastille
Kids verdict: "Like jellies"
Mum's verdict: Surprisingly quite a bit DHA in a product that looks and tastes like sweeties.

7) Cleanmarine Krill Oil for Kids 60 capsules
Price: €9.99 (16c per capsule)
Flavour: Orange x
Recommended age: 2+
Amount of DHA: 11mg per capsule
Amount of EPA: 24mg per capsule
Kids verdict: "Tastes like prawns, skin hard to chew, yuk"
Mum's verdict: Krill is a deep-sea fish that looks like a prawn - claimed to be the 'next generation’ Omega 3 and meant to work faster and better than fish oil in the body so the child needs less. The DHA/EPA scores are very low, but it does contain vitamin E and A as well. Claims no fishy aftertaste, but you can taste prawn. Kids take an instant dislike.

8) Haliborange Kids Omega 3 capsules 45 (with vitamins ACD&E)
Price: €6.99 (€15c per capsule)
Flavour: Orange or blackcurrant
Recommended age: 3-12 years
Amount of DHA: 84mg per capsule
Amount of EPA: 12mg per capsule
Kids verdict: "Nice"
Mum's verdict: For a product aimed at such a wide age range, it should have more EPA. It’s more like a multi-vitamin with low DHA.

9) Lil Critters Omega 3 Gummy Fish (60)
Price: €9.99 (16c per capsule)
Flavour: Sugary gummy bears
Recommended age: 3+
Amount of DHA: 16mg
Amount of EPA: na
Kids verdict: "Sweets!"
Mum's verdict: An American company with a big marketing budget. You can't miss the Lil Critters in pharmacies as most have big, colourful stands at point-of-sale. Don't believe the hype, they are NOT "an excellent source of DHA" as it says on the packaging: 16mg is nowhere near a therapeutic dose - and EPA must be so low it isn't even listed.

LIQUIDS

1) Boots Omega 3 liquid (200ml)
Price: €4.99 (12c per 5ml serving)
Flavour: Orange
Recommended age: 6months+
Amount of DHA: 190mg per 5ml spoonful
Amount of EPA: 260mg per 5ml
Kids verdict: "Tastes like fishy oranges"
Mum's verdict: A liquid that I ended up mixing into a multi-vit syrup they were taking because they didn't like it on its own (it's made from anchovy and sardine oil so quite fishy). Not a bad Omega 3 count but you have to give a large spoonful to reach that.

2) Haliborange Kids Omega 3 Syrup 200ml (with vitamins ACD&E)
Price: €5.99 (€15c per spoon)
Flavour: Orange
Recommended age: 3-12 years
Amount of DHA: 150mg per 5ml spoon
Amount of EPA: 75mg per 5ml spoon
Kids verdict: "Nice, creamy"
Mum's verdict: Made primarily from cod liver oil so there's a lot of Vitamin A. Still, it has a good balance of other vitamins, even if it has a low EPA.

3) Paradox liquid Omega 3, 6 & 9 (225ml)
Price: €17.99 (€40c per spoonful)
Flavour: Lemon
Recommended age: 7+
Amount of DHA: 425mg per 5ml spoon
Amount of EPA: 425mg per 5ml spoon
Kids verdict: "Yuk, oily"
Mum's verdict: Not just from fish oil, also derives Omega 3 from olives, tastes like a fruity olive oil. Also contains Omega 6 which all the experts advise to avoid. Quite expensive but a good amount of EPA and DHA.

4) Eskimo Kids Omega 3 (210ml) + Vitamins D&E
Price: €18.95 (€45c per spoon)
Flavour: Tutti Fruity or Orange
Recommended age: 1-12years
Amount of DHA: 280mg per 5ml teaspoon
Amount of EPA: 410mg per 5ml teaspoon
Kids verdict: "Tastes fishy and greasy"
Mum's verdict: It contains vitamin D and E, so that's good, but also contains 510mg Omega 6 per spoon from the rapeseed oil, and 1400mg Omega 9, which I’m told my kids don’t need extra of. I had to try to disguise the taste.

5) Abidec Multivitamin Syrup with Omega 3 150ml
Price: €9.50 (€31c per spoon)
Flavour: Lemon
Recommended age: Children aged 1-5
Amount of DHA: 25mg per 5ml spoon
Amount of EPA: 15.8mg per 5ml spoon
Kids verdict: "Euwgh"
Mum's verdict: They don't like the lemon taste. Whilst it's good to get an all round multi-vit into their bodies, the traces of DHA and EPA are minuscule and will barely scratch the surface of their brains.

UNDER FIVES

1) Minami MorDHA Minis 30 softgels
Price: €11.99 (40c per capsule)
Flavour: Strawberry
Recommended age: 6months + (however doesn't say this on the packaging)
Amount of DHA: 241mg per capsule
Amount of EPA: 33mg per capsule
Kids verdict: "Sweet but nice"
Mum's verdict: They're a good solution because my youngest was able to chew and swallow these from age 1; great for growing bodies and brains as they're very high in DHA. Label needs to be clearer as no age range listed on the packet.

2) Paradox Omega Babies 105ml bottle
Price: €11.95 (23c per squirt)
Flavour: Tasteless oil - to be mixed into food or bottle
Recommended age: 6 months +
Amount of DHA: 175mg per 2ml squirt
Amount of EPA: 175mg per 2ml squirt
Kids verdict: Sour face pulled when tasted on its own, didn't notice when I added to drinks or food.
Mum's verdict: A simple squirt added to food and the little ones don't notice.


Breakout box:

Omega 3 is broken down into two crucial parts: DHA and EPA.
DHA, short for Docosahexaenoic Acid, has an critical role to play in very early development - pregnant women are now encouraged to take Omega 3 supplements for this reason - and all through early childhood as children develop rapidly.
At about 5 years, EPA, short for Eicosapentaenoic Acid, becomes the more important omega 3 because of its benefits for learning and concentration. Most of the fish oil treatments for ADHD rely heavily on EPA.


Next page Suggested Intakes of Omega 3
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