Source of omega-3 : is krill oil really the best ?

Hi guys,

I did a bit of research and according to this paper : https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-511x-13-99

Concentrated Triglyceride fish oil form is almost 2 times more potent than krill oil when compared to provide EPA / DHA in serum.

All the studies that compare Fish oil and Krill oil do not tell the form of fish oil, which might be the Ethyl Ester form (the less potent form).

CS, I am curious, is there any reason to prefer krill oil more than this form of fish oil (if we don't consider fishy burps here) ?

So this might be a good deal here : https://www.nordic.com/products/ultimate-omega/?variant=39472192454840

I would love to know what is your opinion on this.

(I expect a "devil is in the details here )

Thanks a lot !

Fish oil vs krill oil with phospholipids:

Phospholipids are molecules that have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-hating) tail. They form the main component of cell membranes, and help transport fatty acids across them.

There is inference that phospholipids enhance the absorption and utilization of omega-3 fatty acids in the body, compared to triglycerides and is why krill oil has been shown to increase blood levels of EPA and DHA more than fish oil, even at lower doses.

That said, it really comes down to user preference. Some users do not the effect of krill or the opposite.

Then fish oil can also be found in different forms, such as ethyl esters, re-esterified triglycerides, or free fatty acids. These forms may have different effects on the stability, absorption, and efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids.

One study compared the effects of four different forms of fish oil on blood levels of EPA and DHA and in that, it was the re-esterified triglycerides had the highest bioavailability, followed by free fatty acids, ethyl esters, and natural triglycerides.

Also, would be careful not to exceed 2 grams of fish oil, because of diminishing returns.

Then there's CLO (Cod Liver Oil)....contains a good form of Vitamin A and that in of itself is an extra bonus.

Thanks for your response, CS,

I have found something interesting, by the way :

https://www.superbakrill.com/blog/what-are-phospholipids-and-why-should-you-care wrote:In krill oil, for example, the majority of the EPA and DHA omega-3s are bound to phospholipids. In contrast, other marine oil omega-3s have EPA and DHA bound to triglycerides, the form of fats the body uses for energy — a form that is also stored as body fat for future energy needs. [...] The physical characteristics of triglycerides differ from phospholipids and this affects how they are tolerated by the body. One clear difference is that triglycerides don’t disperse and have a tendency to float on top of stomach fluids, which can result in the fishy burps often associated with fish oil supplements. [...]On the other hand, phospholipid omega-3s do disperse in water and are easily blended in the stomach fluids, which is why there is no fishy aftertaste when you take krill oil supplements.

So I get three things here :
- Fish oil rTG form increase blood serum of DHA/EPA but is less usable by the cells
- FO bind to triglycerides, which results in "borrowing energy from the future" that you don't have with Krill Oil
- FO, once bind to triglyceride, stays on top of stomach which results in fishy burps.

Now I know I'll stay with Krill.

I tried to apply onion / garlic / ACV on scalp at the beginning of my MPB... I don't want to smell like a fish or fondue anymore

Some time ago, there were some sites that provided some extra details on krill oil. I wrote about it in the context of hair loss. The idea of cholesterol proteins, or carriers such as HDL (the 'good' cholesterol) and LDL (the 'bad' cholesterol), has generally no real bearing on health per se.

However, krill oil does a better job of increasing HDL and lowering LDL. In male pattern baldness, there is a correlation between HDL/LDL ratio and hair growth, according to a paper. So, krill oil would be more beneficial for hair and also contains astaxanthin.