Why Krill Oil?
A krill, in profile
krill oil, like fish oil, contains both of the omega-3 fats eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), but hooked together in a different form. In fish oil these omega-3 fatty acids are found in the triglyceride form whereas in krill oil they are hooked up in a double chain phospholipid structure. (The fats in our own cell walls are in the phospholipid form.) Attached to the EPA leg of the phospholipid is a molecule of astaxanthin, an extremely potent anti-oxidant. The phospholipid structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable and allows for a much easier entrance into the mitochondria and the cellular nucleus. In addition to EPA and DHA krill oil contains a complex phospholipid profile including phosphatidylcholine, a potent source of reductive-stress-reducing choline, which also acts as a natural emulsifier.
krill oil contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is, like astaxanthin, a potent anti-oxidant. The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is such that when compared to fish oil in tems of ORAC (Oxygen radical absorptance capacity) values it was found to be 48 times more potent than fish oil.
The astaxanthin found in krill oil provides excellent protection against ultravoilet light and UV-induced skin damage. It was for this reason that I started taking krill oil to begin with–I only discovered its other virtues later on.
A number of studies have shown that krill oil is tremendously effective in reducing LDL-cholesterol, raising HDL-cholesterol, and lowering blood sugar. It has been shown to be effective in treating the pain and inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis and aches and pains in general. One large study showed that krill oil has tremendous benefits in terms of symptom reduction in PMS and dysmenorrhea. And it has been shown to be effective in the treatment of adult ADHD. In all these studies krill oil was tested against fish oil and not simply a placebo.
Due to the rapid absorption of krill oil and the high anti-oxidant content there is virtually never the fishy burping and aftertaste sometimes experienced with fish oil. And there are no other side effects to speak of. The jury is out right now on if and to what degree there is a problem for those people allergic to shrimp. Until the jury is in, I would be careful in taking krill oil if I had a shrimp allergy.
Are there any downsides to this miracle substance? Only one. It is a little more pricey than fish oil, but, as with all things, you get what you pay for. Virtually all krill oil is produced by Neptune Technologies and shipped to the various supplement manufacturers, so any krill oil you get will have come from the same place and be the same dosage. The only unknown is how long it has been sitting around in a warehouse somewhere, which is, of course, the same unkown with fish oil. At least with krill oil, thanks to the high anti-oxidant content, the shelf life is much longer.
One last thing. I neglected to mention in my previous post that popping a couple of fish oil and krill oil caps don’t give the same immediate relief as popping a NSAID. It takes a while–a couple of weeks in my case–for the fish oil/krill oil to provide the same degree of pain relief as the NSAID. So, the take home message is: don’t take your first dose and compare it to the relief you got with a dose of NSAID. If you do, you will not believe the program works and will probably think me an idiot. It takes a while, so give it time. In the study I mentioned in the last post, the subjects took the fish oil for two weeks along with their NSAIDs, then tapered off the drugs and treated their pain with the fish oil alone.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Finding the best krill oil is very subjective. There are over 80 different types of krill. Research has proven that krill from the Antarctic have the best benefits. There are many different brands of krill oil available. What is generally not known is most of the krill oil used in these products comes from one producer.
The difference then becomes how the product companies package and deliver the krill oil product. Most high quality krill oil comes from the Neptune Technologies and Bioresources, Inc Company from Canada. This company uses patented process to extract and produce extremely high quality Neptune krill oil. This Neptune krill oil is provided to many different companies to use in their krill oil products.
All krill oil is very high in the following:
Phospholipids
Omega 3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA)
Antioxidants
Krill oil is better than fish oil because it contains high quality antioxidants that fish oil does not. You can often tell you are receiving Neptune krill oil by the NKO logo on the label. This is your key that the krill oil used in that brand is genuine krill oil. Some of the reasons why NKO krill oil is the best are:
It is the highest grade krill oil available.
The patented extraction process. This proprietary molecular composition is patented in 35 countries.
Chemical pollution free.
The Neptune krill oil is very stable and resistant to oxidation and lipid damage.
The oil has no Trans fats.
When you take Neptune krill oil you will not experience “fishy burps”.
These are a few of the reasons why Neptune krill oil is the best. You can find NKO in many different brands. You should try these brands until you find the one that is right for you. The delivery system is what separates the different brands. You will find gel caps and caplets. Finding the best krill brand supplement is your challenge. Do not expect the cheapest brand will be the best. Cheap does not equal the best. Test the brands until you find the krill oil that is best for you.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Prevent Cancer And Get Healthy
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:36 am
I just read that salmon eat krill, and that’s where they get their reddish flesh color from. I had to stop taking the fish oil caps because of the reflux and am going to try the Neptune as suggested above.
July 27th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
A couple of other things I’ve heard helps:
Put in freezer helps reduce the burping!
Also because the oils are fats – your body will need enough fat enzymes (amylase) to break it down. If eating with a fatty meal your body will send out enzymes to digest (don’t take on empty stomach). Also you can take it with digestive enzymes from your local health food store! I use Enzymedica as they are the leading company for enzymes they have a thera blend which simply means for each enzyme with the blend it is able to work in all parts of the digestive tract (the stomach is acidic and the intestines are alkaline so it travels though many pH levels in order to completely digest). Usually they have about three different pH ranges to cover the entire digestive tract! Awesome product!