Why Quality Matters
When it comes to supplements, there is a massive range in quality that most people aren’t aware of. I actually had a firsthand reminder of this just a few days ago.
I usually take Thorne Creatine every day. Thorne is a professional-grade brand known for sourcing the highest-quality ingredients, not using unnecessary added fillers, and utilizing strict third-party testing. However, I ran out of my personal supply, and we were temporarily out of stock at the clinic.
Not wanting to skip a week, I bought an over-the-counter creatine brand. The label looked clean—no added fillers, just one ingredient: creatine monohydrate. Yet, after taking it, I felt nauseous for about two hours. I tried it again the next day just to be sure, and the exact same thing happened.
I stopped taking it. Once our trusted clinic brandwas back in stock, I switched back and felt completely fine—even at double the dose.
What was in that other product? I don’t know. It could have been chemical byproducts from poor manufacturing, but whatever it was, it shouldn’t have been there.
This is why third-party testing is so essential. It guarantees both purity (no hidden contaminants) and potency (you actually get what you pay for). This rigorous testing costs companies money, which is why professional-grade lines cost a bit more. But it does give you peace of mind as well.
The Fish Oil Test: Is Yours Rancid?
Fish oil is another major culprit when it comes to quality issues. A label might show great numbers for EPA and DHA, but what it doesn’t tell you is the oxidation level of the oil. In other words: is it rancid?
The only way to ensure fish oil isn’t oxidized is if the company tests it both at the time ofpackaging and at the date of expiration to guarantee it stays fresh on the shelf.
Consuming oxidized oil can actually cause inflammation in the body rather than reduce it. The largest published analysis on the topic examined over 1,900 retail fish oil samples and found that nearly 9% exceeded the safety limit for total oxidation (TOTOX), while 13.9% failed freshness standards for peroxide values.
At our clinic, we use Orthomega Fish Oil by Ortho Molecular Products. They achieve their incredible freshness because they have an extremely fast “catch to capsule” turnaround. The fish is caught, the oil is extracted and distilled, and it is placed into a capsule within a matter of months—rather than years, like many standard brands in the industry.
Furthermore, they test their oxidation values through the entire shelf life of the product. Their TOTOX value consistently stays under 7 all the way to expiry. In fact, I just checked the certificate of analysis on their latest batch, and it came in at an incredible 4.44.
To put that into perspective, here is how fish oil quality is officially rated:
TOTOX Value Quality Rating
Under 10: Excellent
10–20: Good
20–26: Acceptable
Over 26: Concerning / Rancid
Better Form = Better Absorption
Beyond freshness, Orthomega is delivered in its natural triglyceride form, which is more easily digested and absorbed than the ethyl ester form used in many fish oils. This makes it a win-win combo that I suggest for many of my patients.