Benefits of Taking Krill Oil And Fish Oil Supplements

Krill oil and fish oil are two products that are becoming increasingly popular. So much so, in fact, that some people are now saying that fish oil is nearly obsolete, because krill oil is simply so much better. However, this may not be entirely fair, because although the strength and quality of the active vitamins and minerals in krill oil may be better than those in fish oil, it is often also more expensive, and there are more counterfeit products of it on the market. As such, choosing between the two types of oil is a personal choice. But what exactly are the two oils, and what are their benefits?

What Are Krill Oil and Fish Oil?

Both krill and fish oil are oils that contain essential fatty acids. These are acids that our body is unable to produce naturally and we hence have to obtain through supplementation. Most people have some understanding of the fact that we require a balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 in our body to be fit and healthy. However, the food we consume is so full of trans fats and other processed factors that we now have a surplus of Omega 6 coursing through our body, throwing the balance off kilter. Both krill oil and fish oil try to restore this balance by providing us with sufficiently high dosages of Omega 3.

So what is the difference between the two? The clue is in where the krill oil comes from.

“Krill oil comes from shrimp-like crustaceans, found mostly in the Antarctic and North Pacific Oceans.” – dietric.com

This is very different from regular fish oils.

“Fish oils come from fatty fish, also known as oily fish, specifically the tissue of fatty fish, such as trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines, and salmon.” – medicalnewstoday.com

The difference between these two types of oils is very important. Unfortunately, our oceans have been poisoned through our continuous usage of water for free garbage disposal. We know that eating too much fatty fish can actually lead to heavy metal poisoning. As such, there is a chance that consuming fish oil, particularly if it has been farmed from wild fatty fish, actually has more drawbacks than benefits. Krill oil, on the other hand, comes from the deepest parts of our cleanest oceans.

The Benefits of Krill Oil and Fish Oil

At the same time, we must acknowledge that not everybody is able to afford krill oil. Not just that, we don’t all have the time and the knowledge to determine whether the krill oil products we are buying are genuine. The cheaper versions in particular are often fish oil marketed as krill oil, which means you are paying more needlessly. And, if fish oil comes from responsibly farmed fish, the chance of it being of poor quality and full of heavy metals is also much lower. Hence, we cannot deny that fish oil continues to have very significant benefits.

In terms of krill oil, one of its main benefits is found in the fact that it is full of astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant.

“Antioxidants protect your cells from damage from free radicals. Free radicals form when your body oxidizes the air that you breathe, breaks down foods, or encounters environmental hazards like smoke and radiation. Typically, antioxidants fight only one free radical at a time. But astaxanthin may be able to handle multiple free radicals at the same time.” – inhealth.cnn.com

Other benefits include the ability to improve heart health, ease the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, possibly reduce the pain caused by arthritis, and increase brain power. These are but some of the benefits that scientists have shown a particular interest in, but many people who use the supplements feel that there are many others, too.

Looking at fish oil, one of its most important but lesser known benefits is that it has been proven to protect people from air pollution.

“Omega-3 fatty acid supplements offer protection against the adverse cardiac and lipid effects associated with air pollution exposure, which makes them a must especially if you live in the city.” – chatelaine.com

Other important benefits include the fact that fish oil can reduce osteoarthritis symptoms, reduce most of the main signs of aging, improve and assist with fat burning, improve memory and cognitive function, help to preserve lean muscle tissue, and improve the health of your bones and joints.

The bottom line is that the benefits of both krill oil and fish oil are incredibly important to our overall health and well-being. All of these is due to the high concentrations of Omega 3 that they contain. These oils have been the favorites of diet, fitness and nutrition experts for generations, and for good reason. The reality is that we cannot function properly without Omega 3 fatty acids.

“We need omega-3 fatty acids for numerous normal body functions, such as controlling blood clotting and building cell membranes in the brain.” – hsph.harvard.edu

Scientists are constantly studying the oils for their various benefits, including the improvement of heart health and protection from strokes. Current research is being conducted into the positive effects of this oil on the prevention of cancer, the reduction of general inflammation, particularly bowel inflammation, and various autoimmune diseases, including arthritis and lupus. Clearly, this is one oil that we cannot do without, even though our body is unable to produce it ourselves.

Once upon a time, we were able to gain sufficient omega 3 by eating fish in our diet once or twice a week. However, because of the fats and processed foods in our diet, this is no longer sufficient to keep the balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6. Added to this is the fact that it is no longer healthy to consume fish more than twice a week, because of the heavy metal content in the meat, it becomes clear why we must choose to supplement. Whether that is krill oil or fish oil is almost irrelevant.