Krill Oil: Three Times As Healthy As Fish Oil?

If you are already familiar with the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and how fish oil supplements can help attain a healthy balance of these essential fatty acids, then you may want to scroll down to the ‘A Better Alternative?’ section.

It is well acknowledged in the scientific and consumer communities that taking in omega-3 fatty acids can improve your health.

Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be produced by the human body and are thus part of the “essential fatty acid” family.  We can only get them from the food we eat or the supplements we take.  Cold water fish, such as salmon and cod, are great sources of omega-3s.

There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).  All of these act as anti-inflammatories in the body.  Inflammation is a leading cause of many medical conditions including the deterioration of the cardiovascular (heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure) and brain (depression, Alzheimer’s) systems.  Inflammation is also primarily responsible for many of the effects of aging, including skin wrinkling, arthritis, and the degeneration of bone and tissue in the body.

Another member of the essential fatty acids are the omega-6s.  They are far more common in the typical diet and can be found in meat, nuts, and seeds.  Maintaining a healthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids can reduce the likelihood of suffering from a variety of medical problems including cancer, arthritis,and heart disease.  However, the proper ratio between the two can differ based on the condition you are trying most to alleviate or prevent.

Regardless of the ratio, taking in the appropriate amount of omega-3s and omega-6s can be immensely beneficial to our health.  Most people get plenty of the omega-6 fatty acids in their day to day diet.  However, due to the limited food sources available (how many people eat fresh salmon everyday?), supplementation is a great way of ensuring that we get the appropriate amount of omega-3s.

Fish oil pills have become a popular source of omega-3s over the last ten years.  Even doctors, who routinely disavow any nutritional benefits of non-prescription supplementation, are recommending fish oil supplements to their patients.  Especially those who suffer from any of the warning signs of impending cardiovascular issues (adverse cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, etc).

So, in summary, various scientific studies conclude that a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can help with the following conditions:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Adverse cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Depression
• Certain types of stroke
• Eczema
• Asthma
• Arthritis

Taking fish oil supplements can help achieve that healthy balance of essential fatty acids.

Fish Oil Supplements Do Have A Downside

Fish oils are a great source of the omega-3 fatty acids.  But they do have some risks.  Fish oil is obtained from fish that swim in oceans that contain varying levels of mercury and other toxins.  And because salmon and other cold water fish are way up the ocean food chain, they absorb all the toxins that have been ingested by the fish they eat, the fish that those fish ate, and so on down the line.

By the time a salmon is caught and harvested for its oil, it potentially contains dangerously high levels of mercury and other toxins that have poisoned our oceans.  You always want to check the quality of the fish oil supplements you buy to ensure that quality filtering processes are used to purify the extracted oil.  But, no matter the quality of the manufacturing, there is a risk of at least trace amounts of bad stuff in those pills.

A Better Alternative?

Krill are tiny shrimp-like marine animals that live in all oceans of the world.  They are considered a “keystone” species near the bottom of the food chain because they feed purely on phytoplankton and zooplankton and convert these into the main dietary sources for fish and other higher level marine animals.

In other words, they are a primary food source for many of the bigger boys in the ocean.

Turns out krill oil contains higher and more efficient concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA, EPA, and ALA than is found in the cold water fish that fish oil supplements are made from.

Three times the effectiveness of fish oil!

The effectiveness of krill oil is superior due to the fact that the omega-3s in krill oil are linked together in a different cellular structure that, without going all high school chemistry, mimics the structure of the fat in human cell walls.  This means that krill oil is more compatible with the human body and thus more easily absorbed.

In addition, krill oil contains astaxanthin, an extremely potent antioxidant the body uses to neutralize free radicals that can damage cells and tissues throughout the body.

Krill are a plentiful ocean resource.  Less than 1% of the ocean’s 600 million tons of krill is harvested annually.  This ensures an abundant, sustainable krill population.  This is a plus because many people are shying away from fish oil supplements due to the concerns over depleted fish populations across the globe.

Krill oil is typically packaged in small soft gel form.  This is compared to the larger fish oil gel pills that can be hard for some people to swallow.  And krill oil keeps longer.  Bottles of fish oil pills typically spoil within six months to a year.  Krill oil pills can stay fresh and nutritionally potent for up to two years or more.

And for some reason, krill oil doesn’t have the fishy smell or disgusting burp aftertaste that is so common with fish oil.

So, fish oil is a good source of omega-3s if you do your homework on quality and purity.  But krill oil supplements are clearly superior in terms of effectiveness and purity.

I’ve switched to krill.  I get mine thru Bulk Nutrition, which is a site I learned about in the homemade supplements guide I obtained.  It’s a great site that carries a large supply of quality supplement brands at super discount prices - especially when you buy in quantities.

Click to see the Bulk Nutrition krill oil I use.

They carry various brands, so be sure to type ‘krill oil’ into the ‘Quick Find’ search box on the left side of the page if you want to check their selection.  They also carry a wide range of other products that you can browse for.  Again, great prices and quick shipping.

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