New Harvest Vegetarian EPA

Recently, I told you about BzzAgent, a word of mouth company, and mentioned that from time to time I might have a product review on the blog.  Yep, this is one of those times.

A couple of weeks ago I received my kit for the New Harvest Vegetarian EPA campaign.  The kit contained a sample bottle with a week's worth of the product, some product information, and a few coupons to hand out.  First, I'll give you a bit of the product information and then I'll give you my experience with the samples.

The Info:  First off, what is EPA?  EPA is actually one of the family of fatty acids commonly referred to as Omega-3's.  The other two are DHA and ALA.  All of the Omega-3's are important for our bodies but most of us don't get enough of them from food.  The usual supplement for Omega-3's is fish oil.  Fish oil supplements can have side effects for many people including a fishy taste and fishy burps.  Also, how are vegetarians supposed to get their EPA when the most recommended food source is fish and the supplement is fish oil?  New Harvest has developed an entirely vegetarian source of EPA using fermented yeast and enclosing it in a vegetarian softgel.

So what are the health benefits of EPA?  (The following statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease.)  According to New Harvest, studies have shown that EPA is important for heart health, supports positive mood and emotional well-being, and may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

My Experience:  I have taken fish oil supplements in the past with none of the fishy side effects that some people experience.  I'm also not a vegetarian so I have no vested interest in whether my EPA comes from fish or yeast.  The seven day supply of New Harvest Vegetarian EPA was enough to determine that I had no side effects from the supplement but it was certainly not long enough to notice any health benefits.  I think I would have needed a minimum of a month's supply to notice anything significant.  New Harvest focuses solely on EPA while fish oil supplements provide both EPA and DHA.  The New Harvest capsule provides 600mg of EPA in one pill while my fish oil simply states that it is 1000mg without providing a breakdown.  So I can't compare the levels of just EPA between the two pills.  Both pills are large and similar in size.  I cannot remember how much the fish oil cost so I can't compare the price of the two products but the suggested retail for 30 New Harvest vegetarian gelcaps is $19.99.  For my needs, I think the fish oil is sufficient because I can purchase it pretty much anywhere instead of making a special trip to get the New Harvest product.

More Info:  New Harvest Vegetarian EPA is available at select GNC stores and online at www.whyepa.com.  For additional product information, visit www.newharvest.com

Do you take any kind of supplements?  Do you think that they benefit you?  What are your thoughts on a vegetarian source for EPA?

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.