Why krill oil is better than ordinary fish oil

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is an omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid. Fish oil supplements contain EPA and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) as triglycerides, whereas krill oil supplies them as phospholipids.

The beneficial effects of fish oil supplements and the even greater benefits afforded by krill oil are well known; indeed, research has shown that EPA is incredibly beneficial, especially with treatment-resistant depression. It is partly due to a higher EPA content that krill oil is even more beneficial than fish oil.

Interestingly, it was found that when taking EPA supplements, less is more: of three possible doses of ethyl-EPA -- 1g, 2g, and 4g -- the 1g dose proved the most effective in the treatment of depression.

It is not just in the treatment of depression that EPA has beneficial effects: taking pure EPA supplements also has benefits for concentration, ADD, ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder), OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), mood, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression) and, of course, cardiovascular health.

Recent research has also shown EPA supplements to have beneficial effects on anorexia nervosa, which is the psychiatric disorder with the highest risk of morbidity and mortality.

Krill oil helps to burn fat and lose weight

The omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids in krill oil favor a phenomenon known as fuel partitioning.

This is a good one: reasearch has shown that omega-3 fatty acids stimulate the storage of glucose as glycogen in muscle, while simultaneously diverting fatty acids away from fat synthesis and into oxidative pathways.

In other words, omega-3 fatty acids stimulate the use of fatty acids as fuel instead of in fat deposition.

That's right - krill oil can help you burn fat!

Krill oil vs Fish oil

1. Krill oil supplies omega-3-unsaturated fatty acids that are much more bioavailable than those in fish oil. This means that krill oil has much bigger benefits on depression, OCD and other brain disorders.

2. Krill oil contains the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin. Fish oil does not.

3. Fish oil easily goes rancid. Krill oil does not.

4. Krill oil contains proportionately more EPA (eicosapentaeneoic acid) than fish oil - this is why it has a stronger effect on depression and other mood disorders.

5. Krill oil is a little more expensive that fish oil, but unquestionably worth it.

What is krill oil?

Krill are shrimp-like crustaceans that account for the world's largest single-species animal biomass. A Canadian company, Neptune Technologies, has the patent for the extraction of oil from krill. Like fish oil, krill oil is a rich source of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), but there is a major difference between fish oil and krill oil: in fish oil, DHA and EPA are present in triglycerides, whereas in krill oil they are present in phospholipids.

So what? Well, the fact is that phospholipids are what cell membranes are made of. This means that the super-beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in krill oil are more easily absorbed - VERY easily absorbed, in fact: some research has shown that krill oil supplements can have positive effects on the brain within TWO HOURS of being taken!