Last reviewed October 28, 2026 by the Cellovi team.
The short answer
EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) are omega-3 fats your body uses to build cell membranes, especially in the brain and eyes, and that support normal heart function.* Your body makes very little of them on its own, and most American adults eat far less fatty fish than recommended. Two Cellovi Omega-3 softgels give you 600 mg of EPA and DHA a day, more than the roughly 250 mg a day that eating fish twice a week provides. Blood levels rise steadily with daily use and settle at a new level over 3 to 6 months. Think of it as filling a common gap in your diet, every day.*
Our grade: Established. EPA and DHA are well-understood nutrients, the intake gap is well documented, and supplements reliably raise blood levels.
Why EPA and DHA, and why the gap
There are three main omega-3s. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) comes from plants such as flax and walnuts. EPA and DHA come mainly from fish and seafood. DHA is especially concentrated in the retina and the brain (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).
- Your body converts little ALA. Reported conversion rates to EPA and DHA are below 15%, so eating EPA and DHA directly, from food or supplements, is the only practical way to raise them (NIH ODS).
- Most adults eat less than the reference amount. US adults get about 90 mg of EPA and DHA a day from food (NIH ODS). Almost 90% of Americans don't meet the recommendation for seafood (Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 to 2025).
How much counts
| Reference point | EPA + DHA per day |
|---|---|
| Typical US adult intake from food | About 90 mg (NIH ODS) |
| About 8 oz of varied seafood a week | About 250 mg on average (Dietary Guidelines 2015 to 2020) |
| Europe's adequate intake for adults | 250 mg (European Food Safety Authority, 2010) |
| Cellovi Omega-3, 2 softgels | 600 mg (360 mg EPA + 240 mg DHA) |
| Amount considered safe as a supplement | Up to 5,000 mg (FDA, via NIH ODS; EFSA, 2012) |
The American Heart Association suggests 2 servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish (AHA). We agree: food first. A softgel is for the weeks when salmon, sardines or trout don't make it onto the plate.
How to read an omega-3 label
- Look past the fish oil number. "1,000 mg fish oil" is not 1,000 mg of omega-3. Add the EPA and DHA lines. A typical fish oil supplement gives about 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA per 1,000 mg (NIH ODS), which is exactly what each Cellovi softgel lists: 300 mg per softgel, 600 mg for two.
- Check the serving size. Some labels list EPA and DHA for two or three softgels. Compare per day, not per capsule.
- Know the form, but don't overthink it. Natural triglyceride forms are absorbed somewhat better than ethyl esters, but all forms significantly raise blood EPA and DHA (NIH ODS; Dyerberg et al., 2010).
- Freshness matters. Omega-3 fats can oxidize. In a test of 171 North American products, half exceeded voluntary oxidation limits (Jackowski et al., 2015). Look for an added antioxidant such as vitamin E, which Cellovi uses, and third-party testing. At home, keep the bottle closed, cool and out of direct light.
- Check the fish. Small fish such as sardines and anchovies are short-lived and low on the food chain. Fish oil supplements have not been found to contain mercury (NIH ODS), and independent testing found levels from undetectable to negligible (Foran et al., 2003).
What daily use does, and how long it takes
- Blood levels rise with dose. In a 5-month trial of 115 healthy adults, 600 mg a day of EPA and DHA raised the Omega-3 Index from 4.3% to 6.8%. The index is the share of EPA and DHA in red blood cell membranes, a common marker of omega-3 status (Flock et al., 2013).
- It takes months, not days. Blood levels shift within weeks, but red blood cell levels reach a new steady state only after several months of daily use (Katan et al., 1997). That is why this is a daily habit.*
- Your dose sets your level. Pooled data from 14 trials with 1,422 people show the Omega-3 Index climbs predictably with the daily amount of EPA and DHA (Walker et al., 2019), which is why we make it a steady daily serving.*
- Healthy aging research. In the DO-HEALTH trial, adults aged 70 and over taking 1 g of omega-3s a day for 3 years aged about 3 months more slowly on several epigenetic clocks, an early finding (Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2025).*
We offer omega-3 for what it does reliably: closing a common gap in your diet, every day.* Much higher, prescription-strength amounts, around 4 g a day, are a different product used under medical supervision.*
How to take it
- 1 softgel twice a day, with meals. Fat in a meal helps absorption: in one study, EPA absorption rose from 69% to 90% when taken with a higher-fat meal (Lawson and Hughes, 1988).
- Fishy aftertaste? Take it at the start of a meal, split the two softgels between meals as we suggest, or keep the bottle in the fridge.
- Give it 3 to 6 months of daily use.
Who should check with a doctor first
- People taking warfarin or another blood thinner, or with surgery planned: higher amounts of EPA and DHA may affect bleeding time (NIH ODS).
- People with heart disease or a heart rhythm condition. In studies of people with or at high risk of heart disease, higher-dose omega-3 supplements were linked to a modestly higher chance of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. The link was strongest above 1 g a day, with a smaller rise at 1 g or less (Gencer et al., 2021). Cellovi's daily serving is 600 mg.
- Anyone with a fish allergy: Cellovi Omega-3 contains fish (sardines, anchovies).
- Anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18.
Side effects are usually mild: an unpleasant taste, bad breath, heartburn or an upset stomach (NIH ODS).
Where it fits in your day
Cellovi Omega-3 gives 600 mg of EPA and DHA from sardines and anchovies, with vitamin E, for $0.58 a day. It is part of the Sharp Mind Protocol, with Creatine and Lion's Mane, one softgel with breakfast and one with dinner.*
Common questions
How much EPA and DHA do I need a day?
Europe's adequate intake for adults is 250 mg, about what 8 oz of varied seafood a week provides. Two Cellovi softgels give 600 mg, and up to 5,000 mg is considered safe as a supplement.
Is 1,000 mg of fish oil the same as 1,000 mg of omega-3?
No. Add the EPA and DHA lines: a typical 1,000 mg of fish oil gives about 300 mg of EPA and DHA. Compare per day, not per capsule.
How long does omega-3 take to work?
Blood levels shift within weeks, but red blood cell levels reach a new steady state only after several months of daily use. Give it 3 to 6 months.*
How do I avoid a fishy aftertaste?
Take it at the start of a meal, split the two softgels between meals, or keep the bottle in the fridge.
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids: fact sheets for health professionals and consumers.
- US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015 to 2020 and 2020 to 2025.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for fats. EFSA Journal, 2010.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level of EPA, DHA and DPA. EFSA Journal, 2012.
- American Heart Association. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Dyerberg J et al. Bioavailability of marine n-3 fatty acid formulations. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 2010.
- Jackowski SA et al. Oxidation levels of North American over-the-counter n-3 (omega-3) supplements and the influence of supplement formulation and delivery form on evaluating oxidative safety. Journal of Nutritional Science, 2015.
- Foran SE, Flood JG, Lewandrowski KB. Measurement of mercury levels in concentrated over-the-counter fish oil preparations: is fish oil healthier than fish? Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 2003.
- Flock MR et al. Determinants of erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acid content in response to fish oil supplementation: a dose-response randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2013.
- Katan MB et al. Kinetics of the incorporation of dietary fatty acids into serum cholesteryl esters, erythrocyte membranes, and adipose tissue: an 18-month controlled study. Journal of Lipid Research, 1997.
- Lawson LD, Hughes BG. Absorption of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid from fish oil triacylglycerols or fish oil ethyl esters co-ingested with a high-fat meal. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1988.
- Gencer B et al. Effect of long-term marine omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on the risk of atrial fibrillation in randomized controlled trials of cardiovascular outcomes. Circulation, 2021.
- Walker RE et al. Predicting the effects of supplemental EPA and DHA on the omega-3 index. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019.
- Bischoff-Ferrari HA et al. Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial. Nature Aging, 2025.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.