Is It Better to Take Omega-3 or Omega 3-6-9? What Each Supplies

Neither is "better"; they are different products. An omega-3 supplement made from fish or algal oil supplies EPA and DHA, the long-chain omega-3s behind the authorised heart, brain and vision claims at 250 mg a day. A triple omega 3-6-9 capsule made from flaxseed oil supplies the essential plant omega-3 ALA, with the linoleic acid (omega-6) and oleic acid (omega-9) that flaxseed naturally contains, and no EPA or DHA. Choose by which omega you want. Omega-6 and omega-9 are not harmful and not a reason to pick either: linoleic acid tracks lower heart disease risk, oleic acid is made in the body, and every "ideal ratio" claim submitted to the GB register was rejected.^{1, 2, 3} Read the milligram line, not the number on the front.

• Omega-3 (fish or algal): EPA and DHA in mg; yardsticks 250 mg EPA+DHA and 250 mg DHA
• Omega 3-6-9 (flaxseed): ALA in mg, yardstick 2 g; plus linoleic and oleic acids; no EPA or DHA
• Who suits which: vegans and fish-avoiders who want a plant ALA source take the 3-6-9; anyone who wants EPA and DHA eats oily fish or takes a fish or algal oil
• Omega-6 and 9: essential (omega-6) and non-essential (omega-9); plentiful in UK diets; not inflammatory at normal intakes^{2, 4}

Sources checked on 29 October 2026.

Is it better to take omega-3 or triple-omega supplements?

It depends which omega-3 you are after. EPA and DHA come from oily fish, fish oil and algal oil; they are the omega-3s the big trials tested and the ones with authorised claims: "EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart" at 250 mg a day, and "DHA contributes to maintenance of normal brain function" and "normal vision" at 250 mg of DHA.¹ ALA comes from flaxseed, chia, walnuts and rapeseed oil; it is the omega-3 the body cannot make, carries an authorised cholesterol claim at 2 g a day, and converts to EPA at only about 5% and to DHA barely at all.^{5, 6} Someone who eats two portions of fish a week, one oily, already averages about 450 mg of EPA and DHA a day and may want a plant ALA source; a vegan who wants EPA and DHA needs algal oil.⁷

What is in a triple omega supplement?

Flaxseed oil in the vegan versions; fish oil blended with seed oils in others. Per daily serving:

The right-hand column answers "how much omega-3 is in a 3-6-9": several hundred milligrams of ALA per two capsules, against the 2 g at which the ALA cholesterol claim applies, and no EPA or DHA.¹ On any label, read the milligrams of the named fatty acid rather than the weight of oil: "1,000 mg fish oil" is about 300 mg of EPA and DHA. How much omega-3, 6 and 9 you need daily has the thresholds.

How does omega 3-6-9 work?

By supplying three fatty acids the body uses in three different ways. ALA is an essential fat: it cannot be made, it is built into cell membranes, and a small share is converted to EPA (about 5%) and a smaller share to DHA (under 1% in most adults).^{5, 6} People who eat more ALA have about 10% lower all-cause and 8% lower cardiovascular mortality in pooled cohort studies, though randomised trials of ALA on heart outcomes are few and mostly neutral.^{8, 9} Linoleic acid is the other essential fat, with its own register claim, on cholesterol, at 10 g a day.¹ The vitamin E slows the oxidation of the oil in the capsule and, in the body, contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.¹ What is the benefit of omega 3-6-9 takes each of the three in turn.

Are omega-6 and omega-9 needed?

Omega-6 is essential and omega-9 is not; neither is lacking in a normal UK diet.

Do I need to take omega-6?

Not as a supplement. Linoleic acid's adequate intake is 4% of energy, about 9 g a day, which cooking oils, nuts, seeds and spreads supply easily.³ The idea that it is "inflammatory" does not survive the trials: fifteen randomised studies found no rise in inflammatory markers when linoleic acid intake went up, and across 30 cohorts and 68,659 people, higher blood linoleic acid went with 7% lower cardiovascular disease and 22% lower cardiovascular mortality.^{2, 4}

Do I need to take omega-9?

No. Oleic acid is non-essential: the body makes it, and a tablespoon of olive oil supplies about 10 g. The register's only wording is that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats such as oleic acid contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, a statement about swapping butter for oil.¹

Are omega-6 and 9 essential or non-essential?

Omega-6 (linoleic acid) and the plant omega-3 ALA are the two essential fatty acids; EPA and DHA are sometimes called conditionally essential; omega-9 (oleic acid) is non-essential.

Does a combined omega-3-6-9 supplement work?

It does what its label says: it supplies ALA, linoleic acid, oleic acid and vitamin E, and a twelve-week trial of flaxseed-oil capsules showed the ALA appearing in red-cell membranes with a rise in EPA alongside it.¹⁰ The question behind it is usually "will it do what fish oil does"; it is a different nutrient: fish and algal oils raise DHA, flaxseed does not, because only preformed DHA raises DHA status.^{6, 11} An algal DHA gummy is the plant route to DHA: a two-gummy serving typically supplies tens of milligrams of algal DHA, against the 250 mg a day at which the brain and vision claims apply, often with ALA and added vitamins; vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and teeth, and vitamins A and C to the normal function of the immune system.¹

Which omega is the most important to include in your diet?

The one you are shortest of, which for most UK adults is EPA and DHA: the one portion of oily fish a week the NHS asks for is the portion most people skip, while linoleic and oleic acids arrive by the gram in everyday cooking.¹² ALA sits in between: essential, and the omega-3 a vegan diet does supply. So: eat oily fish, or take EPA and DHA if you do not; keep ALA in the diet, by food or a flaxseed capsule; and stop worrying about omega-6 and omega-9. The Wellgard omega-3 guide covers what the evidence says each one does.

Can you get a vegan triple omega supplement blend?

Yes. A vegan omega 3-6-9 is flaxseed oil in a vegan capsule, supplying ALA with linoleic and oleic acid and usually vitamin E. For EPA and DHA on a vegan diet, algal oil is the source, as an oil capsule or a gummy. Does flaxseed oil contain omega-3, 6 and 9? explains the oil itself. How to get enough omega-3 on a vegan diet and algae omega-3 vs fish oil go further.

What we don't know

No trial has set a flaxseed omega 3-6-9 against a fish or algal oil on any health outcome; the one head-to-head measured blood fatty acids only, so the choice rests on what each supplies.¹⁰ Whether raising ALA alone changes heart outcomes is unsettled: the randomised ALA trials are few and neutral apart from arrhythmia.⁹

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between omega-3 and omega 3-6-9?

The omega-3 inside them: a fish or algal capsule supplies EPA and DHA; a flaxseed omega 3-6-9 supplies ALA with the linoleic and oleic acids flaxseed naturally contains, and no EPA or DHA.¹ The table above gives the milligrams side by side.

Is it safe to take a combined omega-3-6-9 supplement every day?

Yes, at the label dose; the amounts are a fraction of what a salad dressing supplies. If you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, tell your GP or anticoagulant clinic what you take, as with any supplement; is there any danger when taking omega-3 covers the bleeding evidence.

Should I take an omega-3-6-9 supplement in the morning or evening?

Whichever meal you keep to; with food is the rule that matters. When to take omega-3, 6 and 9 has the evidence.

Do you need to take omega-3 every day?

Daily is how the trials and the fish advice work; red-cell levels respond to the average over months, so a missed day is nothing. Should omega-3 be taken daily answers it for fish-eaters and non-fish-eaters.

Sources

1. Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register. gov.uk, page last updated 19 May 2026.
2. Marklund M, et al. Biomarkers of dietary omega-6 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. Circulation, 2019. Pooled analysis, 30 cohorts, 68,659 people; NIH-supported, two authors report funding from a food manufacturer. PubMed 30971107.
3. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for fats. EFSA Journal, 2010. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1461.
4. Johnson GH, Fritsche K. Dietary linoleic acid and markers of inflammation. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012. Systematic review, 15 randomised trials; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 22889633.
5. Plourde M, Cunnane SC. Extremely limited synthesis of long chain polyunsaturates in adults. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2007. Review; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 17622276.
6. Brenna JT, et al. ALA supplementation and conversion to long-chain omega-3. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 2009. Review; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 19269799.
7. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Committee on Toxicity. Advice on fish consumption: benefits and risks. gov.uk (PDF), published 1 December 2004.
8. Naghshi S, et al. Alpha linolenic acid and risk of all cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality. BMJ, 2021. Meta-analysis, 41 cohorts, 1,197,564 people; university-funded, no conflicts declared. PubMed 34645650.
9. Abdelhamid AS, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020. Cochrane review, 86 trials, 162,796 people, 12 to 88 months; non-commercial funding, no conflicts declared. PubMed 32114706.
10. Barceló-Coblijn G, et al. Flaxseed oil and fish-oil capsules and red cell omega-3. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2008. Randomised trial, 62 firefighters, 12 weeks; publicly funded (NIH and others). PubMed 18779299.
11. Arterburn LM, et al. Algal-oil capsules and cooked salmon as sources of DHA. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2008. Randomised open-label trial, 32 adults, 2 weeks; industry-affiliated authors. PubMed 18589030.
12. NHS. Fish and shellfish. nhs.uk, page last reviewed 26 June 2026.

Spotted something out of date? Email support@wellgard.co.uk with the page address and the sentence.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines, or are pregnant, speak to your GP or anticoagulant clinic before adding any omega supplement.