Which omega-3 has DHA and EPA?

The source map: who has both, who has neither

The dividing line runs between sea and field. Every marine omega-3 contains both EPA and DHA because the marine food chain builds both: standard fish oil from anchovy, sardine and mackerel stock, cod liver oil, krill oil, and algae oil, the vegan option that goes straight to the microorganisms the fish were eating, all deliver the pair, differing only in proportion and price. Every purely plant omega-3, flaxseed, chia, hemp, rapeseed, contains neither: their omega-3 is ALA, a shorter-chain cousin the body converts to EPA and DHA at single-digit percentages, useful as food, incapable of doing a capsule's job, and the reason a flaxseed oil bottle wearing the omega-3 banner answers this page's question with a quiet no. The one-word test at the shelf: if the nutrition panel has EPA and DHA lines with milligrams beside them, it has them; if it only says omega-3 or ALA, it does not.

The ratios across the marine shelf, and when the split matters

Among the products that have both, the ratio is the remaining variable, and it is less consequential than the marketing implies. Standard fish oil runs the classic 18/12 split, 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA per 1000mg softgel, 300mg combined, the profile behind the 250mg heart-function claim that reads combined EPA and DHA and is indifferent to the split. Concentrates skew by design, high-EPA formulas marketed around mood and inflammation stories that carry no authorised claims, and DHA-rich formulas, algae oils prominently, that can matter for one concrete reason: the authorised brain-function and vision claims require 250mg of DHA specifically, a line the standard 120mg softgel cannot cross and a DHA-weighted product can. Cod liver sits near standard strength with vitamins aboard; krill runs modest totals at premium prices. For the ordinary buyer the rule compresses to one sentence: the combined number does the claim work, and the split only matters when the DHA-specific claims are the actual target.

Reading a real label, and the example that shows its working

Which omega-3 has DHA and EPA, answered at the shelf in ten seconds: turn the bottle, find the nutrition panel, and look for the two named lines with per-capsule milligrams, adding them for the combined figure the claims run on; a label offering only fish oil 1000mg or omega-3 blend without the breakdown has failed the only question this page asks of it. The worked example shows the format done properly: Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil declares 1000mg of fish oil providing 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA per softgel, the 18/12 standard split, 300mg combined clearing the heart-claim threshold in one capsule, 90 softgels for £14.99 at 17p a day, lab-tested and UK made, gelatin shell declared for the vegetarians it therefore is not for, who have the algae column of the table above. Both letters, both numbers, printed where the question can check them: which is all any label ever needed to do.

What to check on the label

Questions people also ask

Does all fish oil contain both EPA and DHA?

Yes: every genuine fish oil carries both, standard products near the 18/12 split. The check is that the label declares the milligrams rather than hiding behind the oil weight.

Is flaxseed oil a good source of EPA and DHA?

No: it contains neither. Its ALA converts to the marine pair at single-digit percentages, which is why plant oils cannot do a fish oil capsule's job.

Which omega-3 is highest in DHA?

Algae oils and DHA-weighted concentrates: the products that can reach the 250mg-of-DHA threshold behind the brain-function and vision claims.

Does the EPA to DHA ratio matter for the heart claim?

No: the authorised condition is 250mg of EPA and DHA combined, indifferent to the split. Ratio marketing beyond that carries no claims.

What should a vegan take for EPA and DHA?

Algae oil: the one archetype delivering both without fish, typically DHA-rich, with the EPA line worth checking per label.

Sources

1. Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil listing: 1000mg fish oil per softgel providing 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA, 90 softgels. Amazon UK, accessed 31 August 2026. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CP9T3BTN
2. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products. Scientific opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to EPA and DHA and normal function of the heart (250mg daily condition of use). EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1796. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1796
3. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products. Scientific opinion on health claims related to DHA: maintenance of normal brain function and normal vision (250mg DHA daily condition of use). EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1734. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1734
4. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Committee on Toxicity. Advice on fish consumption: benefits and risks (two portions of fish a week, one oily). TSO, 2004. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-advice-on-fish-consumption-benefits-and-risks
5. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products. Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level of EPA, DHA and DPA: supplemental intakes of EPA and DHA combined up to about 5g/day do not raise safety concerns for adults. EFSA Journal 2012;10(7):2815. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2815

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