Krill Oil: The Facts

By: Maria J RomeroHW499: Bachelor’s Capstone in Health and Wellness

What Is Krill?

Krill oil comes from tiny shrimp-like crustaceans in the sea that are around 1 to 6 centimeters long. They mainly feed on phytoplankton and are most commonly eaten by whales, seals, penguins, squid, and fish.

Krill are found primarily in the colder waters of the ocean. The Southern Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean are the more common areas off of Antarctica, Vancouver, Russia, Ukraine and Japan (Anderson, 2013).

Benefits

• Contains the antioxidant astaxanthin, commonly found in fish with bright red pigments, which helps the immune system and protects cells from damage.

• Reduces LDL and increases HDL• May help reduce common symptoms of premenstrual symptom (PMS)• Helps with reducing inflammation and arthritis symptoms• Fatty acids help decrease swelling• Treating eczema and other skin conditions• Has been used to help treat:

• High blood pressure• Cancer• Osteoarthritis• Depression• Stroke

Krill Oil Supplement

• Krill oil is most commonly taken as a capsule supplement but can also be taken in liquid form as well.

• Krill oil supplements have been preferred over regular fish oil because of the lack of fishy burps that people often run into. Both forms have been shown to prevent these burps and bad smell.

• Little to no toxins or contaminants

Checking the Label• Check the ingredients list and make sure it

has mainly extracts from krill and no preservatives.

• Look for TMA (trimethyline), which is a compound used in krill and if it is labeled, the supplement may not come from a pure source (Krill Oil Report, n.d.).

• Make sure the packaging is tight and secure to prevent any moisture from entering

• Look for the bright red color, which indicates the presence of an antioxidant called astaxanthin

• Conduct a little research on the company or manufacturer by phone or searching their website to verify the purity and how they process their supplement

Why is Krill Oil the New Craze?

• Krill oil has gotten very popular over the past few years because of it’s similarities to fish oil. They both deliver healthy fats that are beneficial for many illnesses. One big reason that people are steering towards krill oil is because of it’s purity. Krill have very short life spans which result in a shorter period to accumulate toxins from the sea, unlike most fish (Roselen, 2014).

• Due to krill oils solubility in water, it makes it that much more desirable. This solubility enables krill oil to fully absorbed by the brain and at a quicker rate that regular fish oil.

Krill Oil vs Fish Oil

• Both contain Omega-3’s, EPA, and DHA• Krill Oil has phospholipids and astaxanthin• Oil from krill is reported to have a higher concentration of EPA• Krill oil has less or no fish burps, unlike traditional fish oil• Krill oil has greater potential to promote lipid catabolism (Vigerust, 2013)• There is still much more research to be conducted on krill oil and the

comparison it has to fish oil.

Krill Oil vs Fish OilQualit of Life

Krill Oil & Wellness

• DHA and EPA have significant roles on the body when it comes to overcoming illnesses and diseases. A study on individuals with depression has shown very low amounts of EPA in their cells (Sly, n.d.). Supplementing people with depression with krill oil and supplying them with sufficient amounts of EPA can play a role in suicide prevention.

• Supplementing the body with krill oil has shown tremendous results in overall health for the average person. Inflammation is another area that krill oil is getting recognized for. In 7 average individuals over 7 days, Krill oil has been proven to reduce pain 28.9%, reduce stiffness by 20.3%, and reduce functional impairment by 22.8% (Deutsch, 2007)

Research

• As more research is released, krill oil is starting to be considered to be superior to standard fish oil. It has proven to have more stability, less mercury, and better bioavailability of the fatty acids (Patel, 2014). Antarctic krill oil is considered to be very therapeutic. The astaxanthins that krill oil has are strong antioxidants that have are also becoming well known for their health benefits with weight management, lowering inflammation, anti-cancer, and many others. Like the well known fish oil supplement that many people take today, individuals are beginning to be prescribed krill oil for the same benefits. These supplements tend to come in a “pharmaceutical grade” for higher potency and better benefits.

References Anderson, L. (January 29, 2013). Drugs.com. In Krill Oil. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http

://www.drugs.com/krill-oil.html.

Deutsch, L. (February, 2007). NCBI. In Evaluation of the effect of Neptune Krill Oil on chronic inflammation and arthritic symptoms. Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17353582.

Krill Oil Report. (n.d.). Krill Oil Report. In Krill Oil Guide: How to Spot a Quality Krill Oil Supplement. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://krilloilreport.com/krill-oil-guide-how-to-spot-a-quality-krill-oil-supplement/.

Patel, S. (October 2014). Kaplan Online Library. In Nutraceuticals from Marine Derived Krill Oil with Immense Heath Potentials.. Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=b1836d

Roselen. (January 23, 2014). Thought Pursuits. In Beating Depression and Anxiety with Krill OilRead more at: http://www.thoughtpursuits.com/beating-depression-anxiety-krill-oil/. Retrieved January 11, 2015, from http://www.thoughtpursuits.com/beating-depression-anxiety-krill-oil/#.

Sly, B. (n.d.). Breaking Muscle. In KRILL OIL VS. FISH OIL: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/krill-oil-vs-fish-oil-whats-the-difference.

Vigerust, N. F. (June 2013). NCBI. In Krill oil versus fish oil in modulation of inflammation and lipid metabolism in mice transgenic for TNF-α.. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22923017.

Wong, C. (December 19, 2014). About Health. In Krill Oil. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/krilloil.