If you’ve taken a fish oil supplement, you might be familiar with the gross “fish burp” side effect that accompanies some of these supplements. It can feel like you’re walking around the rest of the day after eating a fragrant seafood platter for breakfast.
To counteract this unwanted side effect, some fish oil manufacturers are now making their products with a “burp-free” or “burpless” formula. These formulas make a daily fish oil practice much more appealing, and in this article we’ll show how they work.
The Science Behind Burpless Fish Oil
How do manufacturers create a fish oil that doesn’t leave you with fish burps? There are three main ways:
- Adding a special coating to their softgel capsules
- Using molecular distillation to further purify their fish oil
- Offering their product in a liquid format
Each of these methods can be effective in producing a burpless fish oil supplement.
Adding a Special Coating
Some fish oil supplements use a special coating on their softgels to prevent fish burps and aftertaste.
The reason this coating works to stop fish burps is that it protects the capsules from breaking down in your stomach acids. This allows them to reach your intestines, rather than dissolving in your stomach and rising up as fish burps.
Molecular Distillation
One common concern regarding fish oil is the presence of heavy metals, like mercury. Thankfully, reputable fish oil manufacturers put their oils through a purification process the helps remove harmful toxins like mercury and PCBs.
A few brands have figured out how to take this purification method to the next level, using it to eliminate fish burps. They pull this off through the process of molecular distillation which heavily purifies the oil resulting in an ultra-pure, burpless fish oil.
Softgel vs Liquid Fish Oil
Fish oil supplements typically come in a softgel format, but there are a few popular liquid fish oils like the award-winning Carlson Cod Liver Oil.
Most customers prefer the standard softgel capsules, and we agree that liquid fish oil takes some getting used to – in particular, the texture is a serious hurdle. That said, one benefit of liquid fish oil is that it goes down smoothly and is generally less prone to causing fish burps that standard fish oil capsules.
Impact on Health Benefits
The good news is that the transition to a “burpless” formula should have no impact on the nutritional contents or health benefits of your fish oil supplement.
Most fish oils are packed with omega fatty acids in both EPA and DHA forms. Studies have shown fish oils can improve brain, heart, and eye health.
The Best Burpless Fish Oils
There are quite a few “burp free” fish oils available, but these 3 are our favorites. Each of them has earned a stellar, unbiased rating from our team of experts.
#1: Dr. Tobias Omega-3 Fish Oil
Dr. Tobias uses a unique enteric coating on their Omega-3 Fish Oil softgels that prevents fish burps and fishy aftertaste.
In addition to eliminating fish burps, Dr. Tobias’ enteric coating protects the softgels from stomach acids, with allows the capsules to dissolve in your intestines. This improves absorption.
Our expert gave Dr. Tobias Omega-3 Fish Oil a full 5 out of 5 star rating:
I recommend Dr Tobias Omega-3 Fish Oil Triple Strength because of its high dosage of EPA and DHA.
Read the full expert analysis.
Cheryl Fayolle
Nutritional Therapist
M.S. Food, Nutrition, and Health
#2: Viva Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil
Viva Naturals’ fish oil supplement is an ultra-premium product made from pharmaceutical grade fish oil.
This brand purifies their oil through molecular distillation, which both removes heavy metals and helps eliminate fish burps.
Here’s what our team of experts had to say about Viva Naturals’ fish oil supplement:
Based on scientific literature, the levels of EPA and DHA in Viva Naturals Triple-Strength Omega-3 fish oil, 1400mg and 480mg respectively, are at adequate levels to achieve optimum memory function, brain health, heart health and eye health.
Read the full expert analysis.
Cheryl Fayolle
Nutritional Therapist
M.S. Food, Nutrition, and Health
#3: Carlson Cod Liver Oil
If you’re comfortable with a liquid fish oil, you can’t go wrong with Carlson’s award-winning Cod Liver Oil.
This liquid fish oil supplement is sustainably sourced from Arctic cod off of the coast of Norway. It’s available in 3 different flavors – Lemon is our favorite.
Our experts were impressed with the vitamins present in Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil:
One serving of Carlson Cod Liver Oil provides 255mcg of vitamin A, 28% of the recommended daily intake, and 400IU of vitamin D, 50% of the recommended daily intake. Both vitamins play an important role in immunity.
Read the full expert analysis.
Cheryl Fayolle
Nutritional Therapist
M.S. Food, Nutrition, and Health
Final Thoughts
If you’ve tried fish oil in the past but were turned off by fish burps throughout the day, it’s worth revisiting a burpless fish oil.