Is iodine the most important ingredient in omega 3 or is there anything else?

Answer 1

There is no iodine component to natural omega-3

So no, it is not the most important ingredient as it does not occur naturally within the omega-3 molecule itself

The only time iodine is present at all is in one of two cases:

1) It has been added artificially. Some multivitamins or mixed supplements add iodine due to it's own natural benefits.

2) Omega-3 can be (but is not always) derived from fish sources. If the omega-3 supplement comes from a natural fish source and is not heavily processed it may contain left over trace amounts of iodine from the fish. This is simply because iodine may cling to the omega-3 and rather than risk destroying its bio-availability the molecules are left fully intact along with the trace iodine.

Cleansing it of the iodine would require chemical bathing to strip it off and also risks contaminating the omega-3 or damaging its molecular structure (making it harder to absorb in the body). Since iodine is a beneficial nutrient anyway, this is typically not done.

Regardless, iodine in an omega-3 supplement is not inside of the omega-3 molecule it's either been added as a boost or left over in trace amounts if it happened to come from a fish source; either way it is not "the most important ingredient" as it technically is not an ingredient in the omega-3 itself, it's just something mixed with it.

As for the 'is there anything else'; the anything else is 'omega-3' that is the primary ingredient and is a fatty acid that the body requires. You might also consider supplements which mix a variety of omega acids as the body often uses them in chains. It is very common to find Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 blended together as the body makes use of all 3 and more to function.