Why Take Krill Oil

Which Krill OilIt’s been very tough to compare the bioavailability of krill oil to that of fish oil due to various characteristics of krill oil. Krill oil contains less active omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and also contains astaxanthin. The krill oil tends to contain phospholipids, triglycerides, and non-esterified fatty acids, while fish oil contains triglycerides.

It should be stated however, that supplementing the diet with omega-3 is generally a good thing regardless of whether it is from a krill or fish oil based source. Many krill oil reviews for acne benefits of omega-3 may be experienced through taking either type of oil.

It is important to realize that both krill oil and fish oil supplements are thought to provide health benefits. Both provide us with rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are considered “essential” for both physical and mental health. On a standard American diet, most people consume between 10x and 30x the amount of omega-6 fatty acids than they do omega-3’s.

There are a few speculative disadvantages associated with fish oil when compared to krill oil. Although these generally do not apply to high-quality brands of fish oil, they are considered a problem for your average consumer benefits of krill oil who doesn’t do much research.  By finding a high quality fish oil supplement, you can avoid all forms of contamination.

Krill Oil Dosage

For those on a budget, fish oil based supplements may be the better option as they tend to be cheaper, provided they are of sufficient quality. Norwegian based Nordic Naturals fish oils are a popular supplier of fish oil which have a guaranteed purity.

Liver health I have recently been taken off Lipitor due to the results of my last two hepatic function panels. I am looking for holistic alternatives that will not contribute to liver damage. My doctor is unsure if I have fatty liver or not at this point as I have been sick quite a bit this winter. Does krill oil help or harm a fatty liver? I want to be careful about what I add to my diet and certainly don�t want to do any harm. I appreciate the information on your website and the way you don�t �over-hype� products but give sound scientific information.     I have no reason to believe that taking 2 or 3 krill oil pills a day would harm the liver.

Some studies that suggest krill’s superiority in terms of bioavailability actually used significantly different amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in attempt to skew results. Currently there is not sufficient evidence to support the claim that krill oil has greater bioavailability than fish oil. Further human trials must be conducted to determine the bioavailability of each.

Children I am aware the krill oil supplement studies on children are limited and I would still like a dosage recommendation for a three year old.    Some children may benefit from krill oil supplements whereas others may not. Much depends on the child's diet. As a general guideline, I can't see any harm giving one capsule of a krill oil supplement once or twice a week to a three year old child if the pediatrician approves.

Why Krill Oil

Although fish oil often prompts consumer concerns of oxidation and rancidity, these can be mitigated by purchasing fish oil from a high quality IFOS-certified supplier. Many people wrongfully assume that Antarctic krill oil is always free of toxins, yet some research shows that krill can contain trace toxins, which could damage your health.

Krill Oil Side Effects

Reactivity of Shrimp Allergy-Related IgE Antibodies to Krill Tropomyosin. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2007. Krill, which morphologically resembles small shrimp, represents small ocean crustaceans and has been used for human consumption in Japan and some other countries. The major allergen in crustaceans has been reported to be tropomyosin, but the allergenicity of krill tropomyosin remains uncertain. Amino acid sequences of tropomyosin in two species of krill (Euphausia superba and E. pacifica) were deduced. The cross-reactivity in shrimp allergy-related IgE binding among krill, shrimp, lobster and crab tropomyosins was revealed. These observations suggest the allergic potential of krill tropomyosin.    Comments: I don't know how much tropomyosin is present in krill oil supplements and whether even tiny residues would have a clinical effect in those who are allergic to shellfish. If you are allergic to shellfish, particularly if you are severely allergic to shellfish, use fish oils instead of krill oil supplements.

Intestinal health Dig Liver Dis. 2016. Krill oil reduces intestinal inflammation by improving epithelial integrity and impairing adherent-invasive Escherichia coli pathogenicity. Krill oil improves intestinal barrier integrity and epithelial restitution during inflammation and controls bacterial adhesion and invasion to epithelial cells. Thus, krill oil may represent an innovative tool to reduce intestinal inflammation.

The argument in support of krill has stemmed from the statistic that a lower dose of krill oil resulted in similar blood levels of DHA and EPA to fish oil. In these comparisons though, the degree to which the doses differed were insignificant to point that many researchers disagree with the claim that krill oil provides greater bioavailability.

Krill Oil

Environmental concerns Krill is a tiny crustacean that lives in cold bodies of water. It is comparable in EPA and DHA levels to fish but also has some potent antioxidants like astaxanthin. Sounds good right? Well there is one huge problem. They are whale food, and they are a declining species. Reports beginning in the late 90's didn't look good, and they are no better now. In 1997, Earth Observatory noted that as ice cover becomes less prominent, krill suffer. Not only that, but licenses to fish for krill commercially are likely to go bust since in some areas, populations have fallen by 80% in the past 30 years.

Why Take Krill Oil

However, a closer examination of these studies often reveals blatant flaws. A study from 2013 by Ramprasath et al. published in “Lipids” compared krill and fish oil in a trial of 24 healthy volunteers. Their results suggested that krill oil may be superior to fish oil in increasing omega-3 fatty acid content. What wasn’t obvious to your average reader was the fact that the fish oil used in the comparison wasn’t even a typical fish oil.

Quality supplements like Mercola Krill Oil supply the oil in capliques. Capliques are hard shelled 2 part capsules in which a band is sealed around the join. The sealed band helps prevent the krill oil come into contact with oxygen which would make the product more perishable and reduce its effectiveness.