Krill Oil – Superior Omega-3’s with the added protection of antioxidants

When most people think of boosting their Omega-3 levels they automatically think of taking fish oil. After all the benefits of fish oil are well known - it’s a great way to look after your heart and, as hardly any of us eat enough fish, supplementation is the perfect way to boost our Omega-3 intake. But what if you could take a supplement that not only gives you the benefit of additional Omega-3s at an even greater potency that standard fish oil supplements but that can also provide you with antioxidants too? Krill can do just that.

Krill are small crustaceans that look quite similar to prawns. They are fairly small - only about 1-5 cm’s long. They predominantly live in the colder oceans like the Antarctic and the North Atlantic Ocean where they can be found in huge quantities. For example, it’s estimated that one species of krill known as Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) makes up an estimated biomass of over 500 million tonnes, roughly twice that of humans! They form an important part of the food chain providing food for whales, seals, penguins, among other oceanic life. People have harvested krill for many years to use as food in aquariums, bait, and in Japan they are eaten in a dish called okiami. However, in more recent years krill has also been harvested to make krill oil which now commands a small but growing market.

And why is this market growing? Well the simple fact that not only is krill oil nearly 50 times more potent than fish oil, it offers other benefits that fish oil does not contain.

If we look first at the similarities between the two, it’s clear that even without the additional benefits, krill oil is a superior product.

Absorption of Omega-3

Fish oil and krill oil both have the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids that are important to cardio-health and that can help to reduce the risks of developing heart disease. Although Omega-3 fatty acids have been known to be essential to normal growth and health since the 1930s, it’s only been in more recent years that awareness of their other health benefits has really begun to be understood. Scientists studied the diets of Greenland Inuits who, despite consuming large amounts of fat from seafood, do not suffer as a race in general from cardiovascular disease. The key to this lies in the Omega-3 fatty acids that helps to reduce triglyceride levels, heart rate, blood pressure and atherosclerosis whilst at the same time increasing HDL cholesterol levels (often referred to as “the good cholesterol”).

Our hearts benefit in particular from the long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids; Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) both of which are present in fish oil and krill. Indeed, by September 1984, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration went as far as awarding "qualified health claim" status to EPA and DHA with regard to their roles in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.

Despite the undoubted benefits of these fatty acids, krill oil also contains omega-3 fatty acids attached (conjugated) to phospholipids, mainly phophatidylcholine (sometimes called marine lecithin. This form of fatty acid helps the body to absorb omega-3’s more easily and efficiently. Standard fish oils lack this phospholipid complex - instead they only contain omega-3 fatty acids in the form of free triglycerides. This may be a reason for why krill oil appears to outperform fish oil when it comes to heart health benefits. For example, studies have shown that krill oil can reduce LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) by over 30% and at the same time increase HDL cholesterol by over 40%. This compares with single digit percentage changes with standard fish oil.

Antioxidant Properties

Perhaps the biggest difference between krill oil and fish oil is that krill oil also has antioxidant properties. Having an adequate supply of antioxidants is vital if you want to be able to counter the harmful effects of free radicals. As well as heart disease, free radical damage is implicated in a number of other diseases including cancer and age related mental decline.

What’s more, when ingested fish oils become unstable because they oxidize (turn rancid) when exposed to oxygen and heat. Unfortunately, this oxidized oil results in the creation of free radicals and so antioxidants are needed. Krill oil does not oxidize in this way.

Therefore, not only does krill oil help to keep your heart healthy but it has also been shown to bestow a number of other important benefits including:

Given that krill oil comes from an easily renewable food source, it does not leave you with the unpleasant after taste that you can get when taking fish oil and it also provides you with superior omega-3 supplementation and antioxidant benefits, why take fish oil when you could be taking krill to support a healthy heart?