Omega XL Controversy
Omega XL were warned by the FDA for making claims on their company website that were deemed medicinal. [2] It does seem that the parent company Great Healthworks inc, complied with the removal of these claims, however, it highlights an overall issue with the marketing of Omega XL and the fact that it doesn't do nearly what it claims to do.
Omega XL Ingredients
Omega XL gives us a proprietary blend of ingredients containing omega oils and there's nothing wrong with this. It doesn't make all too much difference what the sources are unless you have a dietary restriction, such as veganism which would restrict which sources you can get the nutrient from.
The main issue that we have with Omega XL is that despite its name implying a large size it's actually not offering the ideal amount of omega 3 fatty acids to support osteoarthritis related joint pain relief.
Omega XL's claims largely hinge on it's suggestion that it contains more DHA and EPA than normal Omega oil, which if you were to compare it to a plant based Omega oild would be true, but any algae or fish oil will be the same. The reason for this is that the body uses EPA and DHA for your joints and brain health. There is a 3rd common Omega 3 fatty acid called AHA, this is typically found in land based plant sources of Omega 3, and the body has to convert this to DHA and EPA, losing approximately 95%. [3] But, this is ONLY true if you compare Omega XL to flaxseed or a similar source of fatty acids.
And all of the studies that show Omega 3 as effective for arthritis pain relief show, that you need a high DHA and EPA oil type, like fish or algae, and for the dosage for pain relief to be effective is between 1000mg - 2400mg [4,5,6]
For example in this study 60% of patients stated overall pain was improved and 59% even discontinued pain killer prescriptions that they had previously had, but they were taking 1200 - 2400mg of omega oil with a similar EPA and DHA content to Omega XL. Whereas there is only 600mg contained in a serving of Omega XL. That isn't to say that there is really any reason to not simply take more omega xl.
It would just work out very expensive, because at that point you'd be paying over $100 a month for an Omega supplement, making it almost double the price of a fully comprehensive joint supplement like FlexAgain which contains that amount of omega 3 as well as 10 more ingredients.
Omega XL Alternatives: How Does Omega XL Work Compared To The Competition?
Omega XL vs Relief Factor
Omega XL is a worse choice than Relief Factor, the later actually contains the correct minimum dosage for Omega 3 fatty acids and has the added benefit of including Turmeric which is also proven to reduce joint inflammation. When it comes to Omega XL vs Relief Factor, the latter wins hands down.
Omega XL vs Omega 3
If we’re comparing Omega XL vs Omega 3 supplements in general we’d actually still recommend a store brand Omega 3 supplement over Omega XL, there really isn’t any difference aside from the over the top price tag.
Omega XL vs Mega Red
There really isn’t much to say about the differences in these two, there’s some minor differences in the absorption rates of plant based vs fish based omega supplements, but it pretty much evens out as the fish based supplements have a higher density of omega fatty acids. So, unless you’re picking one or the other for dietary concerns then we’d say they’re both pretty much the same. Except for the price. You get a much bigger dose for your money with Mega Red over Omega XL, so Mega Red does win here.
Omega XL vs Physio Flex Pro
Flex Pro came second on our best joints supplements list, Omega XL did not make an appearance, it should stand to reason that this sentence alone should explain who's winning this one. Flex Pro contains all of the best joint supplements that you can fit into a 2 capsule serving with the exception of Omega 3. We'd recommend simply buying Flex Pro and a cheap Omega supplement to get the best results out of all the products listed in this section.
FlexAgain vs Omega XL
FlexAgain is the best Omega XL alternative of the lot. It contains more Omega 3, in the usable EPA and DHA form as well as curcumin, resveratrol, MSM, reveratrol, bromelain, glucosamine, boswellia and a host of vitamins and minerals that support healthy joints. And it's $5 more for a monthly supply. As a result we can't even come close to recommending Omega XL here.
Is Omega XL FDA Approved?
These sorts of supplements that only contain natural compounds such as natural monounsaturated olive oil extract and fish oil extract are not required to undergo FDA approval as they are simply considered dietary supplements.
References
1 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16531187/
2 - https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/great-healthworks-inc-611686-06232021
3 - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/
4 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362115/
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9413343/
6 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17335973/
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