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Organic Milk Cartons

Answer:

Not really. To get milk with added DHA costs about 50 cents extra per half-gallon based on the local price in our area for Horizon Organic Milk with DHA Omega-3. That product, by the way, claims to provide 32 mg of DHA per cup. This is a fairly small dose of DHA. A typical daily dose of omega-3's from a supplement is approximately 250 mg (and often more). So you'd need to drink an entire half-gallon of this DHA-added milk to get what's often in a single softgel.

In ConsumerLab.com's tests of omega-3 oils from fish, krill, and algae, we found that you could get 250 mg of high-quality omega-3's (DHA and EPA, combined) from fish oil or algal oil for as little as 13 to 18 cents. If you specifically want this amount of DHA from algal oil with very little EPA, you can get this for about 33 cents. So, from a cost perspective, you pay roughly twice as much to get DHA from milk than from a well-priced supplement.

Of course, there is a convenience in getting DHA from your milk and it may be easier to swallow than a supplement and lack a fishy aftertaste. But if you want 250 mg of DHA, it would not be convenient, or advisable, to drink an entire half-gallon of milk to get it. You're better off buying milk without DHA and purchasing a separate supplement which gives you a higher dose of DHA while saving some money.

One other important point to consider in all of this is whether getting extra DHA in your diet is beneficial or not. That depends on what you are hoping to achieve from taking DHA and is a question addressed in great detail in the "What It Does" section of the Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements Review >>

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5 Comments

Earthling C
September 20, 2022

We found this product really helpful for our family. We had a daughter who is vegetarian, struggles with pills, but drank dairy. And a son who did not like fish, and didn't want to take supplement pills. So this milk got our kids some DHA from a non-fishy tasting source. Everyone in our family thought it was non-fish tasting. Other milk DHA products used fish oil, which was not desired. All things considered, this worked out well for us! ( -we/I have no connection to product/company)

Jeanette3655
March 25, 2015

I only drink organic whole raw milk. But I do take an Omega3 supplement - my doctor gave me great advice about these capsules - keep them in the refrigerator. I have been doing this and have never experienced fishy aftertaste or "fish burps."

Robert3652
March 25, 2015

Although it tastes fine when consumed cold, cooking with Horizon Omega 3 fortified milk imparts a strong fish taste to the finished dish. For that reason I have never purchased it again.

Kevin3653
March 25, 2015

Horizon claim, it has vegetables base DHA not the fish base like other brand and I see and feel immediate difference because I am vegetarian and very sensitive to no veg smell.

ConsumerLab.com
March 25, 2015

Hi Kevin - Yes, the DHA in that product is from algae.

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