Sensilia Laboratory is a French, family-owned and independent laboratory based in Gironde, France. Since 2019, we have been researching and manufacturing healthy, innovative wellness products.
Omega-3 for dogs: discover why phospholipids, better absorbed than triglycerides, offer superior effectiveness for joint health.
Published in
Omega-3When it comes to joint comfort in dogs, Omega-3 fatty acids are now recognised as valuable allies. Their natural anti-inflammatory effect, particularly via EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), is well documented.
But what is less well known is that their effectiveness also depends… on their molecular form.
Phospholipids or triglycerides? These two structures play a key role in Omega-3 absorption, and therefore in their effect on joint mobility.
So, what is the best form of Omega-3 for your dog? Let's break it down.
Triglycerides are the natural form in which the majority of dietary fats are found. A triglyceride is a molecule made up of three fatty acids attached to a structure called glycerol. This form is very common in fish oils and conventional vegetable oils.
Phospholipids are a special category of lipids. Unlike triglycerides, they contain only two fatty acids, but also have an additional hydrophilic phosphate group. This characteristic gives them an amphiphilic structure: one end attracts water (hydrophilic), while the other repels it (hydrophobic).
This dual affinity allows them to naturally assemble into lipid bilayers, the basic structure of cell membranes in all living organisms, including dogs.
During digestion, this amphiphilic architecture facilitates their incorporation into micelles, the small particles that transport fats across the intestinal wall. The result: Omega-3s in phospholipid form are absorbed more quickly and more efficiently, even at low doses.
In summary, a dog's body recognises and utilises phospholipid Omega-3s more easily, as their structure is naturally compatible with that of the dog's own cells.
Several studies have compared the body's capacity to absorb Omega-3s according to their form and found that phospholipids are generally better absorbed than triglycerides.
A clinical study published in Lipids in Health and Disease (Schuchardt et al., 2011) showed that krill oil (rich in Omega-3 in phospholipid form) resulted in significantly higher incorporation of EPA and DHA into cell membranes than Omega-3 in triglyceride or ethyl ester form.
Another study, conducted by Köhler et al. (2015), found that phospholipids were absorbed more quickly and more efficiently than standard triglycerides, even at equivalent doses.
Omega-3s in phospholipid form exert more pronounced anti-inflammatory and metabolic effects than those in triglyceride form.
These results suggest that, for dogs prone to inflammatory joint problems, the phospholipid form would be the most appropriate.
Discover our Omega-3 guide
Some oils stand out for their high phospholipid content, a structure that promotes cellular absorption of Omega-3s. These include:
The phospholipid content of a marine oil depends closely on the extraction process used:
Processes using a polar solvent (such as ethanol) efficiently extract the phospholipid fraction, as these molecules are amphiphilic (both hydrophilic and hydrophobic) and partially dissolve in polar solvents. The resulting extracts retain a structure close to that of cell membranes, hence their excellent bioavailability.
In contrast, modern supercritical CO₂ extraction processes, highly valued for their purity and their preservation of the raw material, yield an oil that is almost devoid of phospholipids (< 5%). As CO₂ is a non-polar solvent, it primarily extracts triglycerides and free fatty acids, but very little of the polar lipids.
The result is an oil that is more stable, more concentrated in EPA and DHA, but whose Omega-3s are present mainly in triglyceride form, and therefore potentially slightly less bioavailable than those bound to phospholipids.
This in no way diminishes the nutritional value of these extracts: CO₂ technology remains the cleanest, the safest and the most respectful of fragile fatty acids (no solvents, no residues, no thermal oxidation). But it explains why two oils from the same green lipped mussel can display very different absorption profiles depending on their extraction method.
Omega-3s are essential nutrients for a dog's wellbeing, but not all forms are equal.
Their molecular structure and extraction process play a decisive role in their bioavailability and effectiveness.
Omega-3s bound to phospholipids are generally better absorbed and more biologically active than those in triglyceride form, as they integrate more easily into cell membranes.
Marine oils from polar extractions, such as krill oil or green lipped mussel oil extracted with ethanol, are naturally richer in phospholipids.
In contrast, oils obtained by supercritical CO₂ extraction, such as that used in PERNIXOL®, contain mainly triglycerides and free fatty acids, but offer other major advantages: exceptional purity, enhanced oxidative stability and optimal preservation of EPA and DHA thanks to gentle extraction, free of solvents and excessive heat.
This is the approach chosen by Sensilia Laboratories: a liquid formula combining CO₂ green lipped mussel oil and microalgae oil, to provide dogs with highly concentrated, stable and perfectly tolerated Omega-3s.
Discover PERNIXOL®
This article was written by the R&D team at Sensilia Laboratories, specialists in animal nutrition.