Factor4 Ingredients Explained: Fish Oil, Turmeric, CoQ10, and Garlic

The Factor4 ingredients are four of the most-studied natural anti-inflammatory compounds, combined in one softgel: 890 mg of fish oil (400 mg EPA and 200 mg DHA), 150 mg of a 10:1 turmeric extract, 50 mg of coenzyme Q10, and 50 mg of a 10:1 garlic extract, plus 5 mg of black pepper extract to help the turmeric absorb. Taken as directed (one softgel twice a day with meals), that works out to about 1.2 grams of EPA and DHA per day, the dose that a 2025 meta-analysis found gives the biggest drop in C-reactive protein, the standard blood marker of inflammation. LiveGood Factor 4 is sold as an anti-inflammatory supplement; this guide walks through each ingredient, what the research says it does, how the amounts compare with the studies, and who should talk to a doctor before taking it.

Key takeaways

• Fish oil is the biggest ingredient by weight. Each softgel carries 600 mg of EPA plus DHA, so the two-a-day serving hits the 1,200 mg per day threshold linked to lower CRP in people with heart and metabolic conditions.

• Turmeric comes as a concentrated 10:1 extract with black pepper. 150 mg of extract is roughly the equivalent of 1.5 grams of turmeric root, and the 5 mg of piperine-rich black pepper is there because plain curcumin is poorly absorbed.

• CoQ10 (50 mg per softgel) supports cellular energy and the heart muscle. It is the nutrient statin drugs are known to deplete.

• Garlic extract (50 mg, 10:1) targets blood pressure and cholesterol. Meta-analyses show garlic supplements lower systolic pressure by about 8 mmHg in people with hypertension.

• Three of the four ingredients mildly thin the blood. Anyone on anticoagulants or heading into surgery should clear it with their doctor first.

• The softgel is gelatin (bovine), so it is not vegetarian, and it contains anchovy.

What is in Factor4? The full supplement facts

Here is the label, ingredient by ingredient. Amounts are per softgel; the maker's suggested use is one softgel twice daily with food, so double these numbers for a full day.

Other ingredients: gelatin (bovine), glycerin, beeswax, purified water, and iron oxide (a natural colorant). Each softgel has 5 calories, 0.5 g of fat, and 5 mg of cholesterol. The fish oil comes from anchovy. Retail is $29.95 for 60 softgels; the member price on our Factor4 product page is $19.95, which is a 30-day supply at the labeled dose.

Why take an anti-inflammatory supplement at all?

Short-term inflammation is how the body heals a cut or fights a cold. The problem is low-grade inflammation that never switches off. It is tied to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and fatty liver, and it shows up on blood work as elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Diet, sleep, and exercise are the main levers, and a few food-derived compounds have enough clinical research behind them to be worth adding. Factor4 combines four of them. If you have not looked at your own inflammatory markers, our free AI health assessment will read a recent blood panel and flag anything that deserves attention.

Ingredient 1: fish oil (EPA and DHA omega-3s)

What it does

EPA and DHA are long-chain omega-3 fats from oily fish. They compete with arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fat, for the same enzymes, which cuts production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes. They are also the raw material for resolvins and protectins, molecules that actively wind an inflammatory response down. Omega-3s reliably lower triglycerides and are studied for joint stiffness, dry eye, mood, and heart rhythm.

What the dose looks like

The 2025 dose-response meta-analysis in Inflammopharmacology pooled randomized trials in people with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, or hypertension and found CRP fell in a dose-dependent way up to about 1,200 mg of EPA plus DHA per day, with diminishing returns beyond that. Two Factor4 softgels deliver exactly 1,200 mg. The 2:1 EPA-to-DHA ratio also matches the mix most anti-inflammatory trials have used.

Things worth knowing

• Factor4 uses the ethyl ester form of fish oil. It absorbs well with a meal that contains fat, and noticeably worse on an empty stomach, which is one reason the label says to take it with food.

• Fish oil has a reputation for thinning the blood, but a 2017 systematic review of surgical patients found no increase in bleeding or transfusions. Even so, tell your surgeon what you take.

• Omega-3s pair naturally with the fat-soluble vitamins in D3 and K2; both absorb better with the same fatty meal.

Ingredient 2: turmeric extract (curcumin) with black pepper

What it does

Turmeric root is about 3 percent curcuminoids, the yellow compounds that inhibit NF-kB, the master switch that turns on inflammatory genes, and COX-2, the same enzyme targeted by ibuprofen. Trials in knee osteoarthritis have found curcumin extracts comparable to NSAIDs for pain and function over 4 to 8 weeks, with fewer stomach complaints.

Why the black pepper matters

Curcumin's weak point is absorption: most of it passes straight through the gut or is broken down in the liver before reaching the blood. Piperine, the pungent compound in black pepper, slows that breakdown. The often-quoted 1998 study by Shoba and colleagues in Planta Medica reported a 2,000 percent rise in curcumin bioavailability in human volunteers when piperine was added. Later work has argued the effect is smaller than that headline number, but piperine remains the most common and least expensive absorption aid, and Factor4 includes 5 mg of a 4:1 black pepper extract per softgel for that reason.

How much turmeric is in it?

A 10:1 extract means 150 mg of extract was concentrated from roughly 1,500 mg of turmeric root. Two softgels a day is about 3 grams of turmeric equivalent, on par with the culinary-plus range used in several joint studies, though below the 500 to 1,000 mg of standardized curcumin used in the strongest osteoarthritis trials. Factor4 is a maintenance dose, not a therapeutic curcumin megadose. If joints are your main concern, our joints and pain guide covers what stacks well with it.

Ingredient 3: coenzyme Q10

What it does

Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) sits in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the assembly line that turns food into ATP, and it is a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cell membranes and LDL cholesterol from oxidation. The heart, which never rests, has the highest CoQ10 concentration of any organ, and levels fall with age.

What the research says

The landmark Q-SYMBIO trial published in JACC: Heart Failure gave 100 mg of CoQ10 three times a day to people with chronic heart failure for two years. Major adverse cardiovascular events fell, and 58 percent of the CoQ10 group improved at least one functional class versus 45 percent on placebo. Later meta-analyses back the direction of that result. Separately, statin drugs block the same pathway that makes both cholesterol and CoQ10, which is why statin users often add it and why some trials test it for statin-related muscle aches.

How much is in Factor4?

100 mg per day at the labeled dose. That is a common general-health amount and is at the low end of what cardiology trials used (Q-SYMBIO used 300 mg). Because CoQ10 is fat-soluble, taking it inside a fish-oil softgel with a meal is a sensible delivery method. If you are after the higher research doses for heart support, a standalone energy and mitochondrial support product or a dedicated CoQ10 would be the add-on; see also our heart and circulation guide.

Ingredient 4: garlic extract

What it does

Garlic's sulfur compounds (allicin and its downstream products such as S-allyl cysteine) relax blood vessels by boosting nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, modestly lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce platelet stickiness. Garlic also has a long record in immune support; a well-known 12-week trial found fewer and shorter colds in the garlic group.

What the research says

A meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials with 553 hypertensive participants found garlic supplements lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 8.3 mmHg and diastolic by 5.5 mmHg, an effect the authors compared to first-line medication. An updated 2025 meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis confirmed the reduction (about 8 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic) and reported higher HDL and lower TNF-alpha, an inflammatory cytokine, in the garlic groups.

How much is in Factor4?

50 mg of a 10:1 extract per softgel, so about 100 mg of extract (roughly 1 gram of garlic equivalent) per day. Most blood-pressure trials used 600 to 2,400 mg of aged garlic extract, so Factor4 provides a supporting amount rather than a full trial dose. The upside is that this level is very unlikely to cause the odor or stomach upset people report with higher-dose garlic pills.

How the four ingredients work together

Each ingredient hits inflammation from a different angle, which is the case for combining them:

• Fish oil changes the raw materials the body uses to make inflammatory signals.

• Curcumin turns down the genetic switch (NF-kB) that tells cells to make them.

• CoQ10 protects mitochondria and LDL from the oxidative stress inflammation creates.

• Garlic relaxes blood vessels and lowers the pressure and platelet activation that inflamed vessels drive.

Formulated with all four in one softgel, the trade-off is dose. Factor4 gives a full research-level amount of omega-3s and maintenance-level amounts of the other three. For most healthy adults who want one capsule instead of four bottles, that is the point. For someone managing diagnosed hypertension or heart failure, it is a base to build on with a doctor, not a replacement for treatment.

How to take Factor4

1. One softgel with breakfast and one with dinner. All four actives are fat-soluble or absorb far better with fat, so a meal matters more than the clock.

2. Give it 6 to 8 weeks. Omega-3s take about a month to load into cell membranes, and the blood-pressure trials for garlic ran 8 to 12 weeks.

3. Store it somewhere cool. Fish oil oxidizes with heat and light, and a rancid smell when you open the bottle means it has turned.

4. Pair it with the basics: a complete multivitamin for the micronutrients it does not contain, and if you take a statin, mention the CoQ10 to your prescriber.

You can get Factor4 here; the member price is $19.95 for a 30-day supply.

Who should check with a doctor first

• Anyone on a blood thinner (warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel, or daily aspirin). Garlic is independently linked to surgical bleeding, and turmeric adds risk when combined with anticoagulants.

• Anyone with surgery scheduled. Most surgical societies advise stopping supplements with antiplatelet effects 7 to 14 days before an elective procedure.

• People on blood-pressure medication. Garlic's effect adds to the drug's, which is usually welcome but should be monitored.

• Pregnant or nursing women, and anyone with a fish or shellfish allergy (the softgel contains anchovy).

• Gallbladder or bile-duct problems. Curcumin stimulates bile flow.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Dose-dependent effects of omega-3 fatty acids on C-reactive protein: a dose-response meta-analysis (Inflammopharmacology, 2025)

• No impact of fish oil supplements on bleeding risk: a systematic review (PubMed, 2017)

• Shoba et al., Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers (Planta Medica, 1998)

• Bioavailability of oral curcumin in systematic reviews: a methodological study (PMC, 2024)

• Q-SYMBIO: the effect of coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure (JACC: Heart Failure, 2014)

• Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in patients with cardiac failure: a meta-analysis (PMC, 2017)

• Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive subjects: a review and meta-analysis (PubMed, 2020)

• The effect of garlic on blood pressure in patients with hypertension: an updated meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (PMC, 2025)

• Dietary supplements and bleeding (Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2022)

This article is for education and is not medical advice. Supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.