There is an increasing trend towards omega-3 krill oil for promoting good general health and also cardiovascular health.
However these are the same benefits that fish oil omega-3 has been promoting for years, so are we now to assume that krill oil omega-3 is as good if not better for you than fish oil? To get an answer to this question, we need to understand what exactly it is from the omega-3 that is so beneficial for our bodies, and the answer to that is DHA fats.
DHA fat is essential to us in many different ways, and the only way we can get it is through our diet.
The benefits it has are that it nourishes the cells in our brains, helps to keep triglyceride levels down, helps the heart to maintain a regular rhythm, helps to protect the heart from disease and helps the body fight inflammation: and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
So it stands to reason that the best source of omega-3 for us is the one that contains the most DHA fat.
The amount of DHA fats in fish oil capsules varies from product to product, some may have as little as 100mg in a capsule whilst a really good quality one will contain somewhere around about 250mg per capsule.
omega-3 krill oil capsules on the other hand normally only contain around about 40mg per capsule.
As you can see from this even a poor quality fish oil supplement will contain more DHA fat than an omega-3 krill oil supplement which will probably cost as much as seven times more in price for a like for like supply.
One of the other health benefits touted about omega-3 krill oil is that it has antioxidant properties.
This is in fact true, krill does have antioxidant properties within it, however those antioxidants only apply to the krill itself and not to the consumer.
Additionally it is also said that because of the form the oil comes in then it is easier absorbed by the body; however taking fish oil when it is in an ester form is easily absorbed by the body too.
The long and the short of it from my research is that fish oil supplements are still better for you than omega-3 krill oil supplements.
Krill oil as well as being very expensive simply will not deliver as many health benefits for you as a fish oil supplement that is high in DHA fat.
Additionally, there has been an enormous amount of research done on the health benefits from the properties that come from omega three fish oil, while there is very little research into omega-3 krill oil and therefore the claims about the health benefits of these supplements cannot really be substantiated.