From the blog of Michael R. Eades, MD Why Krill Oil? Dr. Michael Eades is one of the foremost bariatric (obesity treatment) doctors in the US and the first to introduce insulin resistance to the mainstream.

On a fish oil/krill oil/cur cumin regimen that I’ve been using to treat joint and muscle soreness after golf. I had a number of comments wanting to know about krill oil and why I made it part of the treatment protocol. Your wish is my command.

Krill oil, logically enough, comes from krill, which are small, shrimp like crustaceans that inhabit the cold ocean areas of the world, primarily the Antarctic and North Pacific Oceans. Despite their small size–one to five centimeters in length–krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet. There are approximately 500 million tons of krill roaming around in these northern seas, 110,000 tons of which are harvested annually.

Krill oil, like fish oil, contains both of the omega-3 fats eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), but hooked together in a different form. In fish oil these omega-3 fatty acids are found in the triglyceride form whereas in krill oil they are hooked up in a double chain phospholipids structure. (The fats in our own cell walls are in the phospholipids form.) Attached to the EPA leg of the phospholipids is a molecule of astaxanthin, an extremely potent anti-oxidant. The phospholipids structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable and allows for a much easier entrance into the mitochondria and the cellular nucleus. In addition to EPA and DHA krill oil contains a complex phospholipids profile including phosphatidylcholine, a potent source of reductive-stress-reducing choline, which also acts as a natural emulsifier.

Krill oil contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is, like astaxanthin, a potent anti-oxidant. The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is such that when compared to fish oil in terms of ORAC (Oxygen radical absorptance capacity) values it was found to be 48 times more potent than fish oil.

The astaxanthin found in krill oil provides excellent protection against ultraviolet light and UV-induced skin damage. It was for this reason that I started taking krill oil to begin with–I only discovered its other virtues later on.

A number of studies have shown that krill oil is tremendously effective in reducing LDL-cholesterol, raising HDL-cholesterol, and lowering blood sugar. It has been shown to be effective in treating the pain and inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis and aches and pains in general. One large study showed that krill oil has tremendous benefits in terms of symptom reduction in PMS and dysmenorrheal. And it has been shown to be effective in the treatment of adult ADHD. In all these studies krill oil was tested against fish oil and not simply a placebo.

Due to the rapid absorption of krill oil and the high anti-oxidant content there is virtually never the fishy burping and aftertaste sometimes experienced with fish oil. And there are no other side effects to speak of.

Some facts about krill

Type: Invertebrate

Diet: Herbivore

Average lifespan of krill in the wild: 5 years or more

Size: 2.4 in (6 cm)

Weight: 0.035 oz (1 g)

Group name: Swarm

Did you know? Scientists estimate that the total weight of all the Antarctic krill is more than the total weight of all humans on Earth.

 

Krill are small shrimp like crustaceans that feed on phytoplankton, microscopic, single-celled plants that drift near the ocean’s surface (ice- algae) and live off carbon dioxide and the sun’s rays. They in turn are the main staple in the diets of literally hundreds of different animals, from fish, to birds, to baleen whales.

Simply put, without krill, most of the life forms in the Antarctic would disappear.

Pink and opaque, Antarctic krill are among the largest of the 85 known krill species. Their estimated numbers range from 125 million tons to 6 billion tons in the waters around Antarctica. Congregating during certain times of year, in swarms so dense and widespread, they can be seen from space.
Antarctic krill can live up to 10 years, an amazing longevity for such a heavily hunted creature. They spend their days avoiding predators in the cold depths of the Southern Ocean, some 320 feet (100 meters) below the surface. During the night, they drift up the water column toward the surface in search of phytoplankton.

(Did you know penguins that live in the Antarctic live up to ten years longer then their counterparts in the south?) (Our krill oil comes form the North!) Only the best quality krill oil!

 

REFERENCE SOURCES:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/krill.html
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/uncategorized/why-krill-oil/