Which Of These Two Is Better For You?

Over the years, there has been quite a debate as to which oil is superior – Fish or Krill oil.

Research suggests that Krill oil is far more superior due to more bioavailable EPA and DHA, or the omega-3 fatty acids, contained in Krill oil.

The reason why Krill has been shown to be more effective is due largely to its chemical structure (phospholipid backbone vs. triglyceride backbone), which could make EPA and DHA more available to the cells of your body.

However, there is very little research comparing the three different types of oil (Krill, Fish, and Ethyl esters) as to which oil has more bioavailable omega-3 fatty acids.

Now, a study published in Lipids in Health and Disease, could show how Krill oil is superior over both Fish oil and ethyl-esters, when it comes to bioavailability of DHA and EPA.

Let me explain…

Krill Oil vs. Fish Oil

The chemical structure of both Krill and Fish oil differ significantly, which could make a difference in the availability and absorption of omega-3 fatty acids.

First, fish oil, which is bound by a triglyceride backbone, has been shown to have a higher quantity of the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA.

However, the triglyceride backbone, once ingested, needs to be processed in your liver and bound to a choline backbone.

This could lead to a decline in the amount of omega-3 fatty acids, due to them being excreted by your body.

On the other hand, the omega-3 fatty acids found in Krill oil have been shown to already be bound to a phospholipid backbone, therefore bypassing the extra step in your liver, which could potentially lead to a higher absorption rate.

The Study

The authors of this study wanted to see which type of oil yielded more bioavailable omega-3 fatty acids after ingestion.

They recruited 12 young healthy men with an average age of 31 in a double-blind, crossover trial utilizing a Krill oil, fish oil, or an ethyl-ester supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids (each supplement contained 1680 mg of EPA and DHA).

They measured plasma phospholipids at pre-dose,2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, and 72 hours after ingestion.

The researchers noted that the highest incorporation of DHA and EPA came from Krill oil, followed by fish oil, and lastly by ethyl esters.

When they looked at fatty acid analysis, the researchers showed that 22% of the total EPA was free EPA, and that 21% of the total DHA was free DHA in the Krill oil group.  Comparatively, they showed that neither Fish oil nor ethyl esters yielded any free DHA or EPA.

From their work, they concluded that further studies and longer duration trials are needed to verify their findings.  However, they did mention that the unexpected high content of free EPA and DHA could have a significant influence on the availability of DHA and EPA from Krill oil.

Is Krill Better?

The bioavailability of EPA and DHA found in both Krill and Fish oil has been in debate for many years.

However, current research shows that Krill oil, due to its chemical structure (phospholipid backbone), could result in more bioavailable omega-3 fatty acids than Fish oil, or even ethyl esters.

Now the results of this study could show that Krill oil, which contains an abundance of DHA and EPA, may be a better option when looking at absorption of high quality omega-3 fatty acids.  However, it should be noted that further studies with longer duration trials must be performed in order to verfiy the findings of this study.

Including omega-3 rich Krill oil into your daily routine may supply your body with a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, which has been shown to improve many different areas of health.


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References:

Schuchardt, JP.  Schneider, I.  Meyer, H.  Neubronner, J.  von Schakcky, C.  Hahn, A.  Incorporation of EPA and DHA into plasma phospholipids in response to different omega-3 fatty acid formulations – a comparative bioavailability study of fish oil vs. Krill oil.  Lipids in Health and Disease. 2011,10:145.