Our products are inspired by nature, informed by science, and tailored to your needs. We are committed to proving our products work, both in the lab through clinical-validation and third-party testing, as well as in the real lives of our customers and health practitioner community.

we pair nutrients found together in nature-that context matters for absorption and optimal usability.

Inspired by liposomes in nature

Clinically-validated

Third-party tested

Expertly-formulated, with over 10+ years of R&D

Liposomes-why nature selects them for optimal nutrient delivery.

Proven absorption that rivals nature.

Our liposomal Omega-3 is clinically-proven to be 5x better absorbed than standard fish oil pills.

A recently completed long chain fatty acid plasma PK study with Huntington Medical Research Institute evaluated the absorption benefits of Needed’s liposomes against triglyceride gel caps. Both the liposomes and the gel caps contained Omega-3 DHA and EPA triglycerides from algae (i.e. where fish naturally get their DHA and EPA). The study also compared the absorption of DHA and EPA from the liposomes against published norms for DHA and EPA uptake from whole oily fish and ethyl ester gel gaps.

Our expert partners

We’ve partnered with the leading experts on natural nutrient delivery to create our liposomal products. Our expert team of researchers and biochemists have over 40+ years of experience in replicating nature’s optimal nutrient delivery method.

Dr. Crispin Eley, Ph.D.

Crispin is a research scientist and entrepreneur, focusing his efforts on product development for commercially viable liposomal formulations. Alongside Needed, Crispin is realizing his dream of harnessing the power of liposomes to deliver natural ingredients to improve women’s and family health. Crispin holds both a B.A. (honors) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Oxford University.

Dr. John Baldeschwieler

Professor emeritus, Caltech

Professor Baldeschwieler is a J. S. Johnson Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at California Institute of Technology beginning his tenure there in 1973. He is a National Medal of Science recipient for his public service and scientific contributions, and worked as Deputy Director of the Office of Science and Technology in The White House from 1970-1972. Professor Baldeschwieler has dedicated his career to the study and applicability of natural delivery systems, namely liposomal technology.

While at Caltech, he was responsible for commercializing some of the first and most successful pharmaceutical liposomal applications. He founded Vestar, Inc. and served as the Chairman of its Board of Directors before it merged into NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Gilead, Inc.). He founded other companies, such as Combion, and served as Director of the Huntington Medical Research Institutes. He taught at Harvard and Stanford before joining the faculty at Caltech. Professor Baldeschwieler completed his undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University and earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of California, Berkeley.

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We further substantiate our products through our network of trusted health practitioners

Our practitioners

Omega-3 is one of the most clinically-studied and validated nutrients, with proven benefits for before, during, and after pregnancy. Dig into the nutrition research with us below.

Needed+OmegaQuant Omega-3 Testing of Healthy Women of Childbearing Age
Needed, in partnership with OmegaQuant, the leading experts on Omega-3 DHA and EPA nutrient testing, tested the Omega-3 status of 241 nutritionally-aware women of childbearing age, and found that 96.3% were not meeting their Omega-3 needs (Omega-3 index <8%), and 41.9% were critically low in Omega-3 (Omega-3 index <5%), as of the testing date. This testing was conducted over 6 months with participants from across the country, including integrative doctors, doulas, acupuncturists, nutritionists, and other health-minded women who attended wellness events including Attune in Georgia, Ceremony Wellness in Los Angeles, In Good Company in San Francisco, and the DONA International Doula Conference in Houston. Read the full testing results here.
Dietary Intakes of EPA and DHA Omega-3 Fatty Acids among US Childbearing-Age and Pregnant Women: An Analysis of NHANES 2001-2014
Researchers reviewed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from cycles 2001–2002 through 2013–2014 to determine trends in EPA and DHA intakes among childbearing-age and pregnant women including usual intakes and percentage not meeting recommended intakes from The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). It was estimated that over 95% of women of childbearing-age did not meet the recommended daily intakes of 250 mg EPA and DHA through seafood or supplementation. Similar results were observed for pregnant women. Read the full study and abstract here.
Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Addition During Pregnancy
In an updated Cochrane systematic review, researchers combined all published randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of Omega-3 long-chain fats during pregnancy on outcomes for mothers and babies. A total of 70 randomised controlled trials, involving almost 20,000 women, were included in the review. The review found that supplementation with Omega-3 during pregnancy: 1) lowers the risk of having a preterm baby <37 weeks’ by 11% (from 134 per 1,000 to 119 per 1,000 births) 2) lowers the risk of having an early preterm baby <34 weeks’ by 42% (from 46 per 1,000 to 27 per 1,000 births), and 3) reduces the risk of having a low birth weight baby <2,500g by 10% (from 156 per 1,000 to 140 per 1,000 births). Read the full study and abstract here.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation During Pregnancy
Researchers from Obstetrics & Gynecology reviewed literature to present information about how the absolute and relative concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids affect pregnancy outcome and fetal neurodevelopment. They eloquently summarize the importance of DHA and EPA and their role in pregnancy. Read the full study and abstract here.
Importance of a Balanced Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio for the Maintenance of Health
Researchers examined changes in dietary patterns that have led to reduced consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids and the importance of the Omega-6 / Omega-3 balance in maintaining good health. In addition, the researchers reviewed the established recommendations for preventing a poor intake of Omega-3, and possible options for compensating the lack of Omega-3 in the current diet. The researchers found that most studies indicate that the Omega-3 / Omega-6 ratio should be lower than that presently found in the general population and stressed the importance of promoting nutritional education programs that stress the need to increase the consumption of Omega-3. Read the full study and abstract here.
Dietary (n-3) Fatty acids and Brain Development
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, a researcher reviewed recent studies on the role of DHA in brain development and function shedding additional light on the processes by which DHA is incorporated into a rapidly developing brain in utero and where DHA supports the formation of neurons and protects the brain from inflammation and damage, in infants and children, as well as at other stages of the lifespan. Read the full study and abstract here.
High levels of anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediators lipoxins and resolvins and declining docosahexaenoic acid levels in human milk during the first month of lactation
Researchers evaluated the composition of 94 human milk samples from 30 mothers over the first month of lactation. Data from the study suggests that DHA levels in the milk can decline by up to half in just the first month of nursing. Read the full study and abstract here.
A Prenatal DHA Test to Help Identify Women at Increased Risk for Early Preterm Birth: A Proposal
Researchers summarize the evidence linking blood DHA levels with the risk for preterm birth. They propose that women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant build a red blood cell (RBC) DHA value of at least 5% (of total RBC fatty acids). In the US, ~70% of women of childbearing age are likely below this 5% cut-off point. Read the full study and abstract here.
Effect of prenatal EPA and DHA on maternal and umbilical cord blood cytokines
Researchers performed this study to investigate the effect of prenatal eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)- and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)- rich fish oil supplementation on maternal and fetal cytokine production, an indicator of inflammation associated with many complications in pregnancy. They enrolled 126 women, of whom 118 completed the trial. Prenatal supplementation with EPA-rich fish oil significantly lowered certain maternal cytokine concentrations. However, supplementation with DHA-rich fish oil had no significant effect on maternal cytokine profiles. Neither had an effect on umbilical cord blood cytokine concentrations. Read the full study and abstract here.

Other studies for later
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28536068
EPA / PPD
-https://journals.plos.org/plosone/articleid=10.1371/journal.pone.0137309
EPA
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23125553
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