FAQ

Vegan Omega-3 supplements derived from seeds (usually Flaxseed) have been around for a while, but there's no comparison when it comes to effectiveness.

Not all Omega-3s are created equal. Without getting into the science too much, there are three main types of Omega-3: ALA, DHA and EPA.

There is no doubt that fish oil has its benefits, however, there are also well documented downsides. If you are considering buying a fish oil, here are a few things to bear in mind:

1) Many fish oils are cheap, but you should be aware of what you are paying for. These cheap fish oils are regularly of poor quality and contain relatively small dosages of DHA/EPA. They often have not been adequately processed to remove heavy metals and toxins. You'll also find that they have a very strong "fishy" smell or taste. This is because the oil is starting to go rancid as the polyunsaturated fats start to go bad.

2) If you saw how fish oil is made, you probably wouldn't want to put it in your body! Fish scraps are mashed, steamed and squeezed to get the oil out before it goes through further processing.

3) Our seas are more polluted now than they have ever been. Fish often contain harmful levels of contaminants and toxins including heavy metals, PCBs and dioxins. High levels of these substances in your diet can have serious health consequences, particularly for pregnant women.

4) There are major concerns about the impact of overfishing on world fish stocks. According to the United Nations, world fish stocks are expected to collapse by the year 2048 if current practices continue. Algae on the other hand, is fully sustainable and a great alternative to fish oil for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

5) Fish is a highly inefficient way of getting Omega-3 in comparison to algae. Pound-for-pound, algae contains approximately twenty times the amount of Omega-3 as fish. In other words, for every 20 kilograms of fish taken out of the ocean, you'd only need 1 kilogram of algae to produce the same amount of Omega-3!

More information about fish oil can be found here.

I’m not vegan but prefer eco-friendly options. Is vegan omega 3 as good as fish oil?

First of all, well done for trying to opt for the sustainable option!

This way, you can get the same bioavailable form of Omega-3directly from the source, but without the fish, toxins and pollutants!

Unlike seed-based Omega-3 supplements, the type of Omega-3 found in algae is the same as that found in fish and krill... Just without the middleman!

As a source of Omega-3, algae oil is far superior. Cod liver oil has a slightly different composition as it contains small amounts of vitamins A and D.

Vitamin A is easy to get from your diet with fruit and veg. In addition, cod liver oil is potentially very high in sea-borne toxins and heavy metals which accumulate in fish liver.

Omega-3 is the name given to a family of “good fats” that the body needs in the diet and there are many different types. DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) is one of the fats in the family and provides most of the benefits of Omega-3.

It’s also the most difficult to get without oily fish, which is why it’s particularly beneficial as a convenient supplement.

Undegraded (aka food-grade) Carrageenan is a natural fibre derived from red seaweed which has been used by many cultures since the early-1800’s as a food thickener. 

For our purposes, we use a small amount in the softgel capsules as a plant-based alternative to gelatine. It has a long history of use in hundreds of products and is approved by the World Health Organisation, FDA and EU Food regulatory bodies as perfectly safe. The European Food Safety Authority determined that “There is no evidence of any adverse effects in humans from exposure to food-grade carrageenan”. 

The controversy comes from Degraded carrageenan which is something else entirely and was shown by studies to be harmful as a food additive.

The two forms of carrageenan are completely different but often confused, which is why there is so much misinformation out there.

We would never use an ingredient unless we were absolutely satisfied with its safety.

Schizochytrium is a strain of algae found in coastal marine habitats and is naturally rich in Omega-3 DHA. These algae are cultivated in a sterilised environment and then fermented in vats of purified water. This not only prevents impacts to the natural ecosystem but also avoids the risk of any pollutants or contaminants from sea water. During this process, the algae synthesise the DHA-rich oil which is then extracted using a solvent-free process.

The extracted oil is then treated and mixed with Vitamin E to prevent oxidation, after which it is ready to be filled into our veggie softgels.

Obviously, there's a lot more to the process, but this provides a basic overview.

Our algae is grown in a closed system in purified water and not taken from the sea.

Not only does this mean that the algae is completely free of ocean-borne contaminants, it also doesn't disrupt the delicate marine eco-system.

Yes, absolutely. In fact, pregnant and breastfeeding women are likely to get the most benefit from our Omega-3. In addition to a normal daily intake of Omega-3, pregnant women require an additional boost of DHA for the normal development of the brain and eyes of their growing baby.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends a daily intake of 250 mg of DHA/EPA per day for an average adult, with an additional 200 mg of DHA per day for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Studies have shown numerous benefits of DHA intake for the health of both mother and baby. For further information on the importance of DHA for pregnant and nursing women, click here.

As with any health supplement, you should always consult a doctor first.

Absolutely! In fact, Omega-3 is an extremely important nutrient for a growing child due to its role in brain function and development.

The capsules are suitable for children over the age of two and are soft and small in size. This makes them easy-to-swallow, especially for children. We don't explicitly state this on the packaging, as some children have trouble swallowing capsules, so we leave it to the parents' discretion.

If a child does have difficulty in swallowing capsules, the capsules can also be pierced and the contents squeezed into a drink.

As with any health supplement, you should always consult a doctor or paediatrician first.

Omvits Vitamin D3 tablets are flavourless and designed to be swallowed.

We decided to avoid adding unnecessary sweeteners and flavourings.

There are no vegetables that are a source of Vitamin D3, which is the most effective form of Vitamin D.

Some mushrooms are a source of the inferior D2. Our supplement is derived from Lichen, which is one of the only plant sources of D3.

Vitamin D is the worlds most common deficiency.

The sun is definitely the best way to get your Vitamin D, but unfortunately, the UK (and much of northern Europe) doesn’t offer much sunshine - especially in the winter months.

Also, many people cannot spend much time outdoors, wear sunscreen in the summer or work in offices, leaving them deficient in Vitamin D.

In fact, the NHS recommends that everyone use a Vitamin D supplement in the winter months.

Most supermarket quality Vitamin D is made from cheap synthetic ingredients. We’ve gone further to find sustainable, plant-based ingredients.

For example, our Vitamin D is in the form D3 rather than D2 for higher effectiveness and we’ve removed palm oil from the formula.

Absolutely! Our supplement contains D3 which is the most effective form of Vitamin D. It’s the same type created by the body when exposed to sunlight.

Non-vegan D3 is usually made from fish, which have additional sustainability issues. Even vegetarian D3 is usually derived from Lanolin which comes from sheep fat. 

Omvits Vitamin D3 offers the same effectiveness, but with clean, plant-based ingredients and no palm oil.

Yes, they are very small round tablets and are approximately 7mm across.

No, the entire range of Omvits products has no animal products whatsoever.

Although there's nothing in the tablets themselves that would make them unsuitable for children, they contain a high-strength dose of D3 designed for adults.

We would recommend consulting your doctor before administering these to children.

No, these tablets are designed to be swallowed whole. We intentionally avoided sublingual tablets to avoid adding unnecessary sweeteners and flavourings.

There is no evidence to support any benefit to sublingual tablets over swallowed, so we didn;t see the need to add unneccessary ingredients.

We’d recommend consulting a healthcare professional first, but if you have a B12 deficiency, then our potent B12 supplement could certainly help with your energy levels.

B12 deficiency is a common cause of tiredness and fatigue, but you should first determine if that is the reason for your tiredness in the first place.

Having said that, B12 is a very common deficiency in the modern world for vegans and non-vegans alike.

Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form of B12 that is not found in nature. It is cheaper to produce which is why it is commonly used in supplements.

Methylcobalamin is a naturally occurring active form of vitamin B12, which is what we use in our B12 supplement. It has a higher absorption and retention rate than Cyanocobalamin.

We've designed the dosages of our multivitamin to stay well within the upper tolerable limits for each nutrient, even when taken in conjunction with our other products. However, as always, we'd recommend consulting your doctor before taking any supplements to be on the safe side.

Our multivitamin and mineral complex contains all thirteen essential vitamins and eleven essential minerals. We’ve left out the minerals which are easy to get and rarely lacking in the diet such as Sodium and Chloride. The full list of nutrients is as follows:

Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B12, Folic acid (as Folate), Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Vitamin K2, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium, Iodine, Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Chromium and Molybdenum.

The multivitamin has been designed to be used by people over the age of 18.

Our tablets are shorter and slimmer than most others available on the market. They measure approximately 19mm long and 5 mm thick. They are also coated to make them easy to swallow. However, they can also be easily snapped in half if you prefer them smaller.

A subscription is a way of taking the hassle out of ordering your supplements from Omvits. Once you start a subscription, we will automatically create an order for you, process the payment and get your supplements sent to your door without you having to lift a finger!

There are two main benefits: convenience and price. Subscriptions are convenient because you only need to place an order on our website once. After that, we’ll just process everything automatically and get it sent out to you. All you need to let us know is what you need and how often.

Furthermore, you’ll get a discount on your subscription so you’ll save some money too!

Absolutely not! Unlike other companies, there’s no obligation with our subscriptions. You can pause, edit or even cancel your subscription at any time. We’ve made this really easy, so you don’t even have to get in touch with us. You can do it all yourself by logging into your Omvits account.

You can log in or create your account here.

It’s easy! On the relevant product page, you’ll see two options: One-time purchase and Subscribe & Save.

All you have to do is select the “Subscribe & Save” option, select how often you want us to deliver (if applicable) and click “Add to Cart”. Then click “Checkout” and simply fill in your delivery and payment details as you normally would to place your order. Then leave the rest to us!

Optional: We’d recommend creating an Omvits account, so you can manage your subscription and make any changes you’d like. 

Yes, we’ll drop you an email three days before we’re due to process your order. We’ll also send out emails when your order has been processed and when we’ve dispatched your order, so you’ll always know what’s going on!

Yes of course! We know that sometimes it’s easy to miss taking your supplements for a few weeks, so by the time it’s time for your subscription order, you’ve still got some to finish off! In this situation, you can easily skip your next order to give you enough time to finish off your current batch. The following order will be scheduled to arrive as usual.

hipping for your subscriptions will follow the same rules as normal orders. We offer free UK shipping for orders above £25 and a small charge of £2.99 for orders below £25.

You can see your schedule of upcoming orders easily from your account. Simply log in to your account, click “View details” and “Manage upcoming orders” for the relevant subscription.

Yes, you can do this easily from your account. Simply log in to your account and click “change date” for the relevant subscription. Please note that all subsequent dates will also change based on the frequency that you have chosen.

We understand that you may wish to cancel one of more of your subscriptions. To do this, simply log in to your account and click “View details” and “Cancel Subscription” for the relevant subscription.

Of course! You can have as many units as you like as part of a subscription. You can also choose to get your orders more frequently if you wish. However, we’d recommend buying more in one go rather than getting them more frequently as this helps to minimise your carbon footprint.

You can easily add more to an existing subscription by logging into your account and changing the quantity.

On a subscription, we’ll attempt to process a payment on the same date at the frequency you’ve specified. However, if we are unable to process payment for whatever reason, we’ll get in touch via email.

We’ll automatically attempt to process payment three times to allow enough time for you to update your payment details. If the third attempt fails, your subscription will be automatically paused.

Vitamin Angels are a charity that we are very proud to support. 

They help at-risk populations in need – specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five – gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals.

Learn more about how we support the great work they do here.

We do offer free UK delivery on orders over £25 as well as discounted worldwide shipping. You can find out more about shipping here.

We are currently only able to deliver within the United Kingdom and European Union. Specifically, this includes the following countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lativa, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Every country has its own unique regulations when it comes to consumable products and we always want to stay on the right side of the law.

We are currently looking into shipping all over the world, but if we don't currently ship to your country but want to try our products, feel free to contact us here and we'll see what we can do!