Products · Omega-3 & fish oil · Sports Research

Sports Research Vegan Algae DHA 700

A plain vegan DHA from algae (Schizochytrium) with two IAOS lot reports on file (TOTOX 9.0 in both). It is DHA only, 700 mg a softgel, with no EPA, and costs about $0.56 per gram of DHA.

Best for People who do not eat fish and want a plain DHA supplement with lot-level test reports behind it.

Our rating: Fair (3.2 of 5)
Price range: Mid-range
Verified marks: IAOS (Nutrasource, algae oil program): 2 lots listed, expiring 08/2027 and 06/2028, IGEN non-GMO tested (Nutrasource)
Size: 90 veggie softgels (one a day)
Made in: Algae oil sourced from Norway; made in the USA

approx. $35 for 90 veggie softgels

See it on Sports Research’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Sports Research. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Vitacost ($36 for 90 veggie softgels), Amazon ($35 for 90 veggie softgels) .

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How we evaluated it

How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Fair, 3.2 of 5

Ingredients 20% of the rating 4 of 5

Five plain items, with no flavor or color, but the DHA comes with no EPA and the capsule is modified tapioca starch.
Freshness & purity testing 35% of the rating 3 of 5

Two published IAOS lot reports, both clean and fresh (TOTOX 9.0). Only two lots are on file, the program is paid for by the maker, and we found no independent test.
Sourcing 15% of the rating 3 of 5

The organism is named (Schizochytrium sp.) and the oil is said to come from Norway, but the grower, the method and any outside listing are missing. That meets the basics and no more.
Trust 15% of the rating 3 of 5

No recall, FDA warning letter or Prop 65 notice for this product. But three Prop 65 lead notices name Sports Research for other products (2021, 2024, 2026), and it has had labeling suits over others (a 2020 settlement, a class certified in 2022, a 2023 keto suit).
Value 15% of the rating 3 of 5

About $0.56 per gram of DHA at $34.95, DHA only. Fish oils with EPA and DHA run $0.21 to $0.91 per gram here.

The rating, 3.2 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank omega-3 & fish oil and our standard.

Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 2 stores

Vitacost (opens in a new tab) approx. $36 for 90 veggie softgels. Vitacost says it sources directly from brands or authorized distributors, with no third-party resellers. Best-by 08/31/2027 when we looked (the same expiry as the older IAOS lot). Only two reviews so far.
Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $35 for 90 veggie softgels. Sold by Sports Research (the brand) and shipped by Amazon. Pick the “Vegan DHA” style: the “Wild Alaskan DHA” style beside it is a separate listing for a different, wild-caught product.

Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order 5 ingredients

Vegan DHA algae oil concentrate (Schizochytrium sp.), 1,000 mg
Plantgel capsule: non-GMO modified tapioca starch
Vegetable glycerin
Purified water
Mixed tocopherols

Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 2 tests

Paid certification IAOS (Nutrasource) October 2026

Two lots are listed and we read both reports. Lot S25D167 (expires 08/2027): TOTOX 8.96, DHA 787 mg. Lot S26E017 (expires 06/2028): TOTOX 9.00, DHA 817 mg. Mercury below 0.0123 ppm, lead below 0.0066 ppm, PCBs below 0.2 ppb in both, all within limits. The claim is 700 mg DHA. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Paid certification IGEN (Nutrasource) October 2026

Nutrasource lists the product as passing its test for genetically engineered proteins and genes. This is a GMO test only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Who paid, and why it matters

Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 4 questions

It is DHA only. Do I need EPA too?: Our dosing guide says at least 250 mg of DHA a day is enough for people who do not eat fish, and ideally with EPA. This gives 700 mg of DHA and no EPA, so it fits the first part and not the second.
What is “modified tapioca starch” doing in the capsule?: Sports Research’s Plantgel capsule replaces gelatin with a tapioca starch that has been processed so it holds together as a softgel shell. The maker says it is carrageenan-free and non-GMO. A reviewer on Vitacost’s listing (opens in a new tab) said they did not like the starch being there. The amount is not stated.
Where is the algae grown, and how?: The label says the oil is sourced from Norway, and the page says the algae are cultivated in controlled environments. It does not name a grower or a method, so we could not check either.
Has anyone with no stake in the result tested it?: We found no independent test of this product. ConsumerLab’s omega-3 review does not list it.

Why we chose it What put it on our list 5 points

The ingredient list is short: algae oil, a tapioca-starch capsule, glycerin, water and mixed tocopherols. No flavor and no color.
IAOS, Nutrasource’s testing program for algae oils, lists two lots (expiring 08/2027 and 06/2028). Both are within its limits: TOTOX 8.96 and 9.00 (limit 19.5), mercury below 0.0123 ppm, lead below 0.0066 ppm and PCBs below 0.2 ppb. DHA tested at 787 and 817 mg against a 700 mg claim.
The label names the organism, Schizochytrium sp., and says the oil is sourced from Norway.
Our sources and dosing guide says algae DHA performs like fish-oil DHA in trials and suggests at least 250 mg of DHA a day for people who do not eat fish.
At the maker’s $34.95 it costs about $0.39 a softgel, or about $0.56 per gram of DHA.

Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 4 points

It has DHA only, no EPA. Our dosing guide suggests algae oil with EPA as well. The Momentous algae oil adds EPA and is NSF Certified for Sport, but it costs about $55 for 60 capsules.
One softgel is 700 mg of DHA, nearly three times the 250 mg a day our guide suggests for people who do not eat fish. Check with a clinician if you take blood thinners or have atrial fibrillation (see omega-3 and heart health).
Only two lots are on file, and the program is paid for by Sports Research. The capsule is made of modified tapioca starch, a processed ingredient.
The maker says only that the algae are “cultivated in controlled environments”. It does not say where or how, and no sustainability certification applies to algae oil in the way it does to fish.

What to know Details worth knowing first

Fish get their EPA and DHA from algae, so algae oil gives the same fats without fish. Our guide to sources and dosing covers how algae oil compares with fish oil, and why we suggest looking for EPA as well as DHA.

This Sports Research product is DHA only: 700 mg a softgel from Schizochytrium algae. The ingredient list is short, with no flavor or color. IAOS, the algae counterpart of the IFOS fish oil program, lists two lots, and both were fresh and clean and tested above the label claim.

Know the limits. Two lots is a thin record, and Sports Research pays for the program. The capsule is modified tapioca starch, and the maker does not say where or how the algae are grown. If you want EPA as well, a fish oil such as the Sports Research Alaskan oil has both, with far more lot reports behind it.

What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 7 checks

How Sports Research Vegan Algae DHA 700 measures up against our omega-3 & fish oil criteria
What we checked	What we found
Lot-level testing (IAOS) Verified	Listed in Nutrasource’s IAOS registry (entry SPRT0086) with two lots. We opened both reports; both are within limits.
Freshness (TOTOX at or under 26) Verified	TOTOX 8.96 and 9.00. IAOS’s own limit is 19.5.
Stated DHA Verified	700 mg DHA claimed; the lots tested at 787 and 817 mg. The product has no EPA.
A named source Maker’s claim	Schizochytrium sp. algae oil, sourced from Norway, per the label copy on Vitacost. No sustainability certification is stated.
Lot or best-by date Verified	Each IAOS report gives the lot and its expiry. Vitacost lists a best-by date for the bottle it ships.
Smell and taste Not verified	We have not handled a bottle. The maker says there is no fishy taste or burps.
Recalls, warning letters and Prop 65 Verified	No openFDA recall record or FDA warning letter for Sports Research, and no Prop 65 notice about this product. Three notices name Sports Research for other products (greens 2026, Keto+ 2024, Golden Milk 2021). Searched 2026-10-23.

What the labels mean

Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.

Sources Where our facts come from 6 sources

Sports Research Vegan Algae DHA 700mg product page (July 2026 archive copy). Maker’s page. Blocks live fetches. The archive copy shows $34.95 for 90 veggie softgels and the Plantgel capsule claims. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
IAOS registry entry: Vegan Algae DHA 700 mg. Certifier or regulator listing. Lists two lots with report links, built from andi.nutrasource.ca/files/. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
IAOS product report, lot S26E017. Test report. DHA potency, PCBs, dioxins, oxidation values and heavy metals. The other lot, S25D167, is on the same registry page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Vitacost listing with supplement facts and ingredients. Independent source. Source of the ingredient list. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
ConsumerLab fish oil, krill oil and algal oil review (public summary). Independent source. Lists the 19 products tested. This one is not among them. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
California Attorney General: 60-day notice search for “Sports Research”. Certifier or regulator listing. Three notices name Sports Research for other products: 2026-01834 (Organic Greens, lead), 2024-04820 (Keto+, lead; settled 2025 for warnings) and 2021-02617 (Golden Milk, lead; withdrawn). None concerns this product (searched 2026-10-23). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Alternatives Other options to compare 2 options

Momentous Vegan Omega-3 (opens in a new tab) EPA and DHA from algae (500 mg each in two capsules), NSF Certified for Sport. About $55 for 60 capsules on Momentous’s site and about $53 on Amazon. We saw no oxidation figure.
Sports Research Alaskan Omega-3 Fish Oil A fish oil with EPA and DHA, 83 IFOS lot reports and a lower price per gram.

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