Krill Oil Vs. Fish Oil

Fish oil has been around for quite some time and is hugely popular as daily supplement. However, recently, krill oil has emerged as a great substitute for fish oil due to its numerous benefits. Krill oil benefits are believed to outweigh those of fish oil. Naturally, more and more number of people are opting krill oil over fish oil. However, one must understand the comparison between two against various parameters, before choosing one of them.

Krill Oil Vs. Fish Oil

Source
Krill is a shrimp like marine animal which lives in cold water. It is mostly found in the North Pacific and Antarctic ocean. Krill is the main food of whales, as they consume them in tons. It is estimated that there are about 500 million tons of krill in these oceans. Out of these, 110,000 tons are harvested every year. The patent of krill oil extraction lies with a Canadian company, Neptune Technologies. Thus, almost all the supply of krill oil in the world originally comes from Neptune Technologies, though supplement manufacturers may differ. Fish oil on the other hand is harvested from different fish species such as cod, tuna, sardines etc. There are various manufacturers of fish oil all over the world.

Content of Omega-3
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are a prime component in both these fish oils. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the two important molecules of omega-3. Incidentally, both these fish oils contain these molecules in almost equal number. However, the difference lies in their molecular structure. These molecules are found in triglyceride form in fish oil, whereas in krill oil supplements they are found as phospholipids. Interestingly, the fat structure in the human body is also in the form of phospholipids. Thus, krill oil gets absorbed in the body rapidly and in a better way.

Health Benefits
The health benefits of both krill oil and fish oil are comparable with each other. Both have anti-inflammatory properties which help in relieving joint pain, arthritis etc. Both are known to improve heart health by lowering the amount of LDL cholesterol and increasing that of HDL cholesterol. They are also effective for weight loss. Krill oil and fish oil have immense antioxidant properties, however, when it comes to the number of antioxidants present, krill oil wins hands down. Astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and vitamins A, D and E are some of the most potent antioxidants found in krill oil. These antioxidants fight free radicals and protect the skin against UV rays and sun damage.

Dangers
Krill oil dangers, though very few indeed exist. Like fish oil, there is also a risk of allergies to some people. Hence, people with known allergies to shrimp, should consume krill oil under the supervision of a medical practitioner only. Also, the high content of vitamins in krill oil can be detrimental, as body already gets enough of vitamins from dietary sources. Vitamin A toxicity is a good example of what happens when you consume too much fish oil or krill oil. Other krill oil side effects may be yet unknown as there is still not enough research on krill oil.

Krill oil has a longer shelf life than fish oil due to its high antioxidant content. Besides, the dosage is also uniform since it comes from a single extractor, Neptune Technologies. The same cannot be said about fish oil. The only flip side to krill oil is that it is more expensive than fish oil.