Fish oil vs Krill oil: Which is the better of the two? | Fish Oil Blog

With the publication of many research studies on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, many companies have started manufacturing of omega-3 fats in the form of supplements, capsules and oils. Omega-3 fats are found in many foods and fish oil and krill oil are the most popular among them. Krill oil has got a lot of hype in the medical and media world recently, thanks to its high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Many opine that krill oil is better than fish oil in everything and that it betters fish oil at all levels. Is this truth? Is krill oil better than fish oil in every other way? What are the truths and the untruths? We explore the root of the matter in this article.

Krill Oil: First we need to get to the basics. What is krill oil and why is it being this hyped about? Krill oil is oil made from krill, small shrimp-like creatures that live in the colder regions of the oceans. Present in large numbers in the Artic and the Antartic, krill is consumed by whales, small fish and sea birds. Humans catch krill to use it as a sporting bait for fish or to eat them as food. The Japanese and the Russians eat krill as food and krill caught for the purpose of eating is called “okiami” in Japan. Krill oil is the oil that is naturally found in krill. It is extracted and sold as a nutritional supplement by manufacturers. Now that omega-3 has become the watchword of the whole world, krill oil has become a popular supplement among  people.

Krill Oil vs. Fish Oil: Which is better? Well, to know this, one has to analyze the two oils at different levels. First reference point for comparison should be the amount of DHA present in the oils. Yes! DHA is more important than EPA in any omega-3 fatty acid. About 50% of the brain is made of DHA fats. Hence it is important to measure the amount of DHA present in any fat before consuming them. Below are a few ways to compare and contrast between fish oil and krill oil.

1. Measure by DHA levels: Since DHA is very crucial for your body, compare the oils by the amount of DHA present in them. Krill oil does not contain DHA much. So, it may need high quantity of krill oil to supply you with the DHA you need for your body. On the other hand, fish oil is a natural source of DHA. In fish oil’s case, you can buy the required amount of DHA at minimal cost as a single capsule of fish oil may contain more DHA than a krill oil capsule. It is said that krill oil is over 5 times more expensive than fish oil when it comes to DHA.

2. Contamination levels: Fish oil is said to be more polluted than krill oil. This is because fish is present in sea water and fresh water that is contaminated, whereas krill oil is present only in the colder regions where pollution is less. Not so. Researchers say that airborne pollution is common to all regions and hence krill will be equally contaminated as fish. However, in the case of fish oil, it is processed before being sold. Whereas, many manufacturers of krill oil do not indulge in any kind of purifying process before selling the oil. So, one cannot come to a conclusion regarding the contamination levels of fish oil and krill oil.

3. Astaxanthin in Krill Oil: Asataxanthin, a powerful antioxidant is said to be found in Krill oil. This comes with loads of benefits and hence, krill oil manufacturers hail it to be better than fish oil. This too is a shady truth. Astaxanthin can be found at higher levels (pretty higher than the amount found in krill oil) in the best quality fish oils. Comparatively, the anti-oxidant ability of krill oil is lesser.

From these points, we should not deny that krill oil is no match for fish oil. It is on par with fish oil, but the latter is loaded with more benefits and hence, is safer to use. Also, there are not many krill oil manufacturers who can produce contaminant-free oil.