Krill Oil VS Fish Oil – Is Omega-3 Krill Oil Really Better?

Make no mistake about it, both fish oil and krill oil provide many health benefits, but one of these is slightly better than the other!

Have you been reading information on krill oil vs fish oil and seeing many mixed messages? There is a wealth of information out there and many disagreements taking place.

Make no mistake about it, both fish oil and krill oil provide many health benefits, but one of these is slightly better than the other!

It is hard to become healthy if you do not know what nutrients you are consuming. The fact that you are trying to establish the difference between fish oil and krill oil, means that you are aware of the extremely healthy fatty acids that they contain.

Fish oil is the most common dietary supplement taken today. For good reason too! Omega-3 fish oil contains the fatty acids EPA and DHA and these fats have proven in hundreds of studies to provide numerous health benefits.

The intake of these fats has been shown to improve every cardiovascular disease factor, reduce the risk of stroke and to look after brain health, improving memory and learning. It is also known to promote the health of the immune and nervous systems!

The evidence behind the daily consumption of fish oil supplements is very convincing. It’s not expensive, provide many health benefits and there are no side effects. Even people who are not fans of supplements will usually make an exception to fish oil.

So What About Omega 3 Krill Oil?

Krill are tiny sea creatures that are very similar to shrimps and live throughout the colder oceans. They are a main food source for many marine creatures, especially whales. The Japanese and Russians eat krill as part of their regular diet. Krill oil also contains EPA and DHA, just like fish oil, but a much lesser amount than fish oil.

If you wanted to get the same levels of DHA from krill oil that you can get from fish oil, you are likely to have to spend a LOT more money!

As a replacement for ordinary fish oil, krill oil has its attractions for several reasons:

1. It does not have any contaminants because it is sourced from the krill which is very small and is unlikely to have any contaminants.

2. It is in a phospholipid form which is better absorbed by the body than the triglyceride form of most fish oils.

3. It has natural anti-oxidants present which help preserve the oil.

Certain debates are stating that krill oil is actually less contaminated than fish oil, but this isn’t true! Airborne contamination cannot be avoided and affects every inch of the globe. It is a fact that man-made pollution has even been detected in the Antarctic!

Penguins have even been shown to have come into contact with traces of pollution.

So krill are just as likely as fish to have traces of contaminates such as mercury and other heavy metals.

And the companies that produce products based on Omega 3 krill oil, often market them as having more perks than fish oil and providing more benefits. For instance, krill oil contains an antioxidant named astaxanthin that fish oil does not contain.

No argument there but it is nothing to make a big deal about. For example, the typical level is only 0.3mgs per soft gel or 0.6mgs per daily dose.

As our most recommended fish oil product, Xtend-life uses 5mgs per soft gel of natural antioxidants in their Omega 3 fish oil. This includes a mix of Rosemary extract and mixed tocopherols. This is a lot more potent than 0.3mgs of astaxanthin.

Some experts have said that krill oil is just not worth experimenting with and that it’s being promoted as a healthier alternative to gain a market share. It is also more expensive than fish oil and there have been hardly any studies to actually determine whether or not it has any benefit over fish oil.

The small amounts of studies that do claim that krill oil is superior have actually been funded by the companies who stand to make a profit from the oil!

So the most important thing is to ensure that you only purchase products from well established and respected companies, who have put their products through a cleaning process that removes any trace of these harmful toxins.

A quality company should always be able to provide an analysis of oil certificate to prove the pureness of their oil products.

Krill Oil Vs Fish Oil – Why DHA In Fish Oil Makes It Superior

DHA and EPA are the important Omega 3 fats that are required for good health. Although they both have many benefits, DHA has been proved in studies to have more benefits.

The most important factor of the krill oil vs fish oil debate is the levels of DHA that they contain.

DHA is where the health benefits come from, so it is understandable that the majority of people want to supplement on the oil that contains the most DHA.

Studies have proved that DHA is responsible for preventing many health conditions that are experienced in old age. It also plays a very important role in the development of unborn children, and is why many expectant mothers are advised to increase their intake during pregnancy by their doctors.

Let’s have a look at what DHA can do for you:

Promotes a healthy brain
Improves cardiovascular health
Promotes healthy looking skin
Takes care of the nervous system
Clears the arteries
Protects against certain cancers
Aids the development of infants

Fish Oil Has Higher Amounts Of DHA

Another of the reason that fish oil is the preferred choice for many is the amount of DHA that it contains compared to krill oil.

Omega 3 krill oil, given the lesser amount of DHA it contains (the level of DHA is low at only 9%), is usually quite expensive when compared to fish oil and considering that there is are no additional benefits, just make it a waste of your hard earned cash.

The typical price is US$24.95 for 60 x 500mgs krill oil soft gels versus Xtend-life US$16.17 also for 60 x 1,000mg soft gels.

On average, each bottle of 60 krill oil capsules contains 30,000 mgs of krill oil and only 2,700mgs of DHA. The Xtend-life Omega 3 DHA/Fish Oil contain 60,000mgs of concentrated molecularly distilled Fish oil esters, and contain 15,000mgs of DHA.

So, if you wanted the same amount of DHA you would have to pay 8 times as much. $137.22 versus $16.17!

So, whilst the sales pitch surrounding the krill oil is well done, it really doesn’t stack up against a quality molecularly distilled and concentrated fish oil ester.

The Bottom Line

As we can see, Krill oil is NOT a viable alternative to our Omega 3 for a number of reasons.

There has been very few studies on krill oil to date, and there is no evidence supporting the assertion that phospholipids are more bio-available than either the triglyceride or ethyl ester forms of fish oil.

Fish oil is much better researched as a source of EPA and DHA fatty acids. It is considered safe, and is certainly more affordable. I suggest you ignore all the hype regarding Omega 3 krill oil until a lot more research has been done and studies can confirm that it provides more health benefits than fish oil!

We recommend Xtend-life’s Omega 3 DHA/Fish Oil that has the best purity, anti-inflammatory factor, bio-availability and high amount DHA. Visit the link below to learn more details.