Why Most Omega-3 Supplements Aren’t Cutting It — and What Your Body Really Needs to Resolve Inflammation

For years, omega-3 supplements like fish oil, krill oil, and generic EPA/DHA capsules have been marketed as the answer to inflammation.

But here’s the truth that most people don’t know:

**Omega-3s don’t resolve inflammation.

Your body does.**

And it does this using a special class of molecules that go far beyond EPA and DHA.

Recent scientific discoveries have identified Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators (RMs)—the compounds your body uses to actively turn inflammation off and return tissues back to balance. Pro and Pre resolving mediators.

This is where most omega-3 supplements fall short.

🔍 Omega-3s Are Only Precursors—Not the Final Product

EPA and DHA are incredibly important fats… …but they are not pro-resolving on their own.

To actually resolve inflammation, the body must convert EPA and DHA through multiple steps into active RMs such as:

• Resolvins
• Protectins
• Maresins

These molecules:

• Reduce excessive inflammatory cell activity
• Clear out cellular debris
• Support tissue repair
• Restore homeostasis Pro and Pre resolving mediators

The problem?

Most people don’t convert omega-3s efficiently.

Many individuals have insufficient levels of endogenous RMs due to:

• Chronic stress
• Poor diet
• Aging
• Impaired enzymatic pathways Pro and Pre resolving mediators

Meaning you can take omega-3 supplements every day…and still never produce enough resolving mediators to actually fix the root problem.

⚠️ This Is Why Many People Don’t “Feel” Their Fish Oil Working

You can take:

✔ Fish oil ✔ Krill oil ✔ Algal oil ✔ Generic EPA/DHA capsules

…and still experience:

• Joint discomfort
• Slow recovery
• Chronic inflammation
• Gut irritation
• Brain fog
• Metabolic issues

Because the body is missing the resolution side of inflammation—not the “anti-inflammatory” side.

This is a game-changing distinction:

➤ Anti-inflammation ≠ Pro-resolution

Anti-inflammatory therapies can actually disrupt the natural resolution process. Pro and Pre resolving mediators

Fish oil isn’t the problem. It’s the incomplete pathway.

🌊 The Answer: Omega-3 Sources That Contain Pre-Resolving Mediators

This is where wild-caught Alaskan cod liver oil stands apart.

High-quality cod liver oil naturally contains RM precursors, including compounds like 17-HDHA, 18-HEPE, and others your body can directly convert into RMs. Pro and Pre resolving mediators

And these precursors are fragile—they’re destroyed by:

• Overheating
• Overprocessing
• Farmed fish diets
• Long storage times
• Oxidation
• Contamination

This is why the source and processing method matter more than the omega-3 label.

🐟 Why On Target Living’s Wild-Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil Performs Better

Because of how our cod is caught, handled, and processed, our oil retains significantly higher amounts of these delicate RM precursors.

✔ Wild-caught in cold Alaskan waters

Cleaner environment = more intact omega-3 metabolites

✔ Sustainably line-caught

Lower stress = fewer inflammatory breakdown products

✔ Processed immediately at sea

Less oxidation = more preserved pro-resolving compounds

✔ Cold-processed

Protects the fragile molecules that support the resolution pathway

Instead of just “taking fish oil,” you’re giving your body the tools it actually needs to resolve inflammation and heal.

🎯 The Educational Conclusion

Most omega-3 supplements miss the mark because they only supply raw material (EPA and DHA), not the bioactive mediators crucial for resolving inflammation.

Wild-caught Alaskan cod liver oil—properly handled—naturally contains these missing compounds.

When your nutrition supports the resolution pathway, the whole body changes.

...and we didn't even hit on the naturally occurring Vitamin D that is only in Cod Liver oil. Until next time.

Clinical RMs Applications

Osteoarthritis (OA)

OA is characterized by an increase in inflammatory cells and biomarkers in affected joints.

Cognition dysfunction.

Neuroinflammation has been associated with cognitive decline and other forms of brain dysfunction.

Metabolic Disease

Adipose tissue dysfunction contributes to chronic uncontrolled inflammation, which can result in adverse metabolic outcomes such as insulin resistance and obesity.

Inflammatory Bowel Disorders (IBD)

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are IBD that lead to long-term and occasionally irreversible impairment of gastrointestinal structure and function.