Well, it appears that the Krill Oil vs. Fish Oil debate has officially begun. For those of you who don’t know, these oils contain the beloved Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
It is an undisputed fact that we need to get these fatty acids through our diets. Every expert will agree on that, and for good reason.
Omega-3’s have been shown to display a host of benefits: promoting fat loss, improving insulin metabolism, decreasing inflammation in the body, decreasing triglycerides, increasing good (HDL) cholesterol, easing depression, etc. The list of benefits is impressive and well documented.
For years now, fish oil has been the gold standard for omega-3 supplementation. But now, recent research is suggesting that krill oil may be a superior alternative. Is this true?
Unfortunately, you can’t believe most of what you read on this topic. The majority of the literature is created by marketers cleverly disguising themselves as doctors, nutritionists, or fitness experts.
I assure you that I have NO affiliation with any fish or krill oil company; therefore, I have no ulterior motives behind writing this post. Instead I just want to give my loyal readers an honest assessment on a topic that is becoming increasingly more confusing (I know this because of the countless emails I have received on this subject).
Quite frankly, I have experimented with both oils on my clients and myself, and I can honestly say that I haven’t notice a difference between the two (based on body fat analysis and simple blood testing). But since some of the benefits are happening on a cellular level, we need to delve into the research to decipher who the real winner is in this debate.
At first glance, krill oil does seem to have some benefits over fish oil. I’ll list these benefits followed by my opinion:
This is a krill. How exciting
Benefit #1- Krill oil is better absorbed than fish oil. There are several studies that support this. The increased absorption is due to the phospholipid that is bonded to the Omega-3 fatty acids found in krill. You see, our cell membranes are made from phospholipids also, thus allowing krill’s omegas to make it into our cells very easily.
The Real Deal- Krill oil does, in fact, seem to be better absorbed than fish oil. It is important to note that the increased absorption has only been shown with Neptune Krill Oil (NKO). NKO owns the patent on a technique that gently removes the Omega-3 fats from the krill. This patented process preserves the fragile bond between the fatty acids and the phospholipid. If this bond is broken, the krill oil loses its increased absorption potential.
Unfortunately, most of the krill oil on the market is extracted using cheaper and quality-damaging methods (usually involving heat) that damage this bond very quickly. Research has shown that these inferior krill oil products are garbage. Therefore, don’t use any krill oil without “NKO” on the label.
Benefit #2- Krill oil contains powerful anti-oxidants. The anti-oxidant in krill that has everyone excited is astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant. Research has shown that astaxanthin can provide protection against UV-induced skin damage. Also, astaxanthin can help preserve the integrity of the Omega-3’s in krill oil by helping to prevent them from turning rancid from oxidation.
The Real Deal- Astaxanthin is a good anti-oxidant. But it certainly isn’t a magic bullet. Anti-oxidants such as Vitamin E and C are just as effective. Moreover, fish oil also contains astaxanthin, but in lesser concentrations.
She obviously got her fish oil from Walmart. To avoid the "I take cheap fish oil" side effect shown above, only get a high quality, pharmaceutical grade oil.
Benefit #3- Krill oil doesn’t have a fishy taste or cause fish burps. I think this point is pretty self-explanatory!
The Real Deal- I can attest to this. I have not experienced any fishy taste with a high-quality krill oil supplement. However, high quality fish oil doesn’t cause fish burps either. If you are experiencing a fishy taste from your fish oil, your product is either rancid or it is of poor quality. High quality fish oil products add anti-oxidants and lemon oil to help preserve shelf life and prevent that oh-so-memorable rancid taste we all love to hate.
Benefit#4- Krill oil is less polluted than fish oil. Since krill are at the bottom of the food chain and are harvested in the pristine waters of Antarctica, there is less potential for them to contain high levels of mercury, PCB’s and other heavy metals.
The Real Deal- This claim makes sense for the reasons listed above. But in regards to purity, I am still more comfortable with high-quality, pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Why? Because good pharmaceutical grade fish oil is molecularly distilled. This process removes any and all pollutants. Then the oil gets third party tested for purity. This multi-step purity process certainly puts my paranoid mind at ease! This distillation process is not performed on krill oil.
The Bottom Line
NKO krill oil appears to be a solid supplement; its increased absorption gives it a clear advantage over fish oil. It’s other “claimed” benefits, however, don’t get me all that excited. So should we all switch over to krill oil? Heck, if it gets absorbed better, why not?
But wait…not so fast! When we compare prices, krill oil is FAR more expensive than fish oil. Here are the facts: the leading krill oil product contains just 45mg of EPA and 27mg of DHA per capsule, while the leading fish oil product that contains a relatively whopping 325mg of EPA and 225mg of DHA per capsule.
Even though a higher percentage of the krill oil is absorbed, you’re paying almost 8 times the price per milligram! That’s just too much to justify in my opinion. So for now, stick with a high quality, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, such as Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. Case closed…for now.
Great post John. If money was no object, which oil would you use?
@Gina: I’d still go with fish oil or rotate between the two
Great post, John! How many grams of fish oil should I take per day? Thanks
@Amanda: That depends on your goals, conditions, and the amount of fish you eat per week. Let me know and I’ll get back to you
great post John. how about coconut oil? some people say there is no oil in the world like it.
your comment would be very appreciated.
@michael mellner: Hey Michael, coconut oil is great but it does not contain Omega 3 fatty acids so it’s just in a different class of fats
great post as usual man… i take the total efa by health from the sun…is that over kill…meaning should i just stick to pharmaceutical grade fish oil,like in ur post such as Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega and call it a day
@Geoff Guirk: Hey Geoff, no it’s not overkill but you really don’t need the blend and I’m not convinced it’s the highest quality. I would recommend that you get a pharmaceutical grade fish oil instead
Great post John- I was reading in a health magazine today that Krill oil is effective in treating aches, pains, and inflammation. Does the same go with other fish oils?
@Jess: Hey Jess, good question. The benefits that you were reading about are benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids. Therefore, you can receive them from any oil containing EPA/DHA. Companies market those benefits in a way that makes them seem specific to their product but that’s not the case.
I know this article is specifically about fish oils, but what’s your thoughts on flaxseed oils?
@Titan: Titan, flaxseed oils contain ALA. ALA can be converted in the body to EPA/DHA. The body can usually do this without a problem but its ability to make this conversion can be compromised by high insulin levels and old age. So if you choose flax, keep your insulin levels in check
Way to break it down, John!
Yeah the cost of Krill oil per milligrams of EPA/DHA turned me off when I was considering this. Even if it is absorbed better, I’m putting more EFA’s in my body with fish oil, so regardless of if I only absorbed half of what I took… I’d still be getting a decent amount AND saving money! Debate over… for me anyways! lol
BTW: Those Krill are so cute… how could you squish them into oil! haha
@Brandon Cook: Hey Brandon, I actually calculated the price per mg based on absorption rate. Krill is 6-8 times more expensive (depending on brand) based on absorbed mg. nuff said.
Hope you’re having a good summer
Hey John,
If one does not have the budget for 6 grams per day high grade pharmaceutical fish oil (say for a student), its it alright to subsitute a lesser brand , as long as it is rated well on consumerlabs, is molecularly distilled and comes from a place with frequent turnover so its not sitting around on the shelf for long periods of time (I’m thinking spring valley, which has been rated well).
I know the benefits of fish oil are amazing and I would rather not miss out on them, but if you think the risk is too high taking 4-6 grams a day of this type of oil I will figure out another way to get my omega 3s.
Thanks,
-Chris
@Chris S: Hey Chris, here’s my opinion- If you are intaking something on a daily basis, you should only use the highest quality stuff. So I would suggest that you get the best fish oil that you can get your hands on. Then simply adjust the dose to make it affordable. Hope that helps you out
thanks man appreciate will definitely give that a try….DID I MENTION I LOVE UR PICS USED TO ARTICULATE YOUR POSTS …HAHAHAHA
@Geoff Guirk: You’re welcome Geoff. I’m glad somebody enjoys my pics/captions. In the recent past, I’ve received some angry emails about them from some apparently offended readers
That makes a great deal of sense. I will definitely do that. Thanks again for the great insight and fast response!
-Chris
@Chris S: You’re welcome Chris
Well there you go get a good quality pharma grade moleculary distilled fishoil. If only Krill was molecularly distilled and the same price as fish oil. It is a shame that flax oil’s ALA is so poorly coverted into EPA/DHA.
Now to find a list of MD Fish oil here in the UK , most of the one’s I have seen are nearly the same price as Krill!!
Thanks again for a great post.
@Andrew Morris: Hey Andrew, don’t compare price bottle to bottle. Instead compare mg to mg. you’ll see that fish oil is much cheaper
BTW the best I have found so far available in the UK is Omax3 , double molecularly distilled,pharma grade, 3rd party tested and affordable.1125mg epa 275 mg dha.
If you google it checkout the freezer test.
Any other decent brands in the UK?
@Andrew Morris: that brand looks legit. I’d go with that
Cheers John, I will be ordering some omax3 shortly, I have been looking into finding a molecularly distilled Krill oil- I have found some with more epa and well put together but no molecularly distilled and too expensive.
Thanks for your info, made me look again and will be sticking with fish oil from Omax 3 or similar.
As you say, if your going to take it every day it better be good stuff.