What Is The Difference Between Krill Oil And Fish Oil? Which Is Better For You?

Fish Oil or Krill Oil? Is there a difference?

You’ve probably heard of fish oil, but not many folks have heard of krill oil. Fish oil is a dietary supplement that comes from fatty fish. The anchovies on your pizza, salmon, tuna, and mackerel are all sources of fish oil. Krill oil, however, is relatively new to the dietary supplement market. It is derived from small crustaceans that resemble shrimp.

What Is The Difference Between Krill Oil And Fish Oil? Which Is Better For You? A distinction between the two oils is that fish oil is yellow or golden colored, and krill is red. Krill oil doesn’t have a fishy smell, which makes it more appealing than fish oil. Fish oil and krill oil are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are a group of polyunsaturated fats. The two fatty acids found in krill and fish oils are eicosapentaenoic acid, more commonly known by its scientific abbreviation EPA and docosahexaenoic acid, better known as DHA.

A 2011 study conducted by several Norwegian researchers compared fish and krill oil, and found that they resulted in similar blood levels of EPA and DHA. Some study participants took 3 grams of krill oil and other participants took only 1.8 g of fish oil, suggesting that a person needs to take almost twice as much krill oil as fish oil to get the same benefits (Ulven, 2011).

According to the study, the body stores the two oils differently. Researchers found that 30–65% of krill oil’s fatty acids are stored as phospholipids, while the fatty acids in fish oils are stored as triglycerides.

The study suggests that the body may be able to use fatty acids stored as phospholipids more easily, however, a person might need to take more krill oil than fish oil to get an equivalent amount of omega-3s.

The Benefits of Krill and Fish Oils

It is believed that both oils provide health benefits, such as a reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are promoted as benefiting eye health, helping children who suffer with ADHD, helping with the developing brains of infants, and preventing inflammation. Fatty acids are also said to aid in reducing mental decline with diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Fatty acids have been heavily promoted as reducing the risk of certain cancers.

Other benefits that have been noted are the prevention of premature aging, reduction of the risk of acne, improved sleep, and is said to reduce asthma in children.

It is cautioned, however, that there have been no scientific studies to prove that taking omega-3 supplements offers the same benefits as consuming fish.

The Risks of Krill and Fish Oils

As with any dietary supplement, there are risks, and it’s best to consult a health professional before starting any omega-3 or vitamin program.

It is advised that the dosage should be no more than 900 milligrams of EPA and 600 milligrams of DHA as it can reduce the immune system by suppressing natural inflammatory responses (Office of Dietary Supplements, n.d.).

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) recommends a daily intake of 1.6 grams per day for men and 1.1 grams per day for women from all sources and not exceeding 2 grams of EPA and DHA a day from dietary supplements.

Before purchasing krill or fish oil capsules, it’s important to read the labels carefully to determine how much of each substance is in each capsule. If you are purchasing at a drug or retail store that has a pharmacist on duty and you aren’t sure of the ingredients, ask. The pharmacist can tell you if the capsules exceed the daily recommended dosage and can advise you if it will interfere with any prescription drugs you’re taking. You can have adverse reactions if you take more than the recommended daily dosage, and you can exacerbate any side effects that you might be having.

Some of the less severe side effects are:

Bad breath (fish breath)
Body odor (unpleasant smell from sweating)
Upset stomach
Nausea
Diarrhea
Constipation
Heartburn
Excessive belching
Headache
Bleeding gums
Nosebleeds

Some of the more serious side effects include:

High blood pressure
Low blood pressure
Stroke
Insomnia
Vitamin A toxicity

Vitamin A Toxicity

When taking a dietary supplement such as krill or fish oil, it’s important to keep in mind that these supplements can contain vitamin A, sometimes in large amounts and it can be toxic. Again, this is why it’s important to read all labels carefully.

For example, some omega-3 oils can contain up to 270% of your daily vitamin A needs in one serving. If you take one fish oil supplement with a high vitamin A content, and you have salmon for dinner with a sweet potato and broccoli, you will intake far more vitamin A than recommended, and it can make you feel dizzy or make you nauseous, irritate you skin, or give you joint pain.

That’s why after taking a supplement with a high vitamin A potency and eating a vitamin A-rich meal, you might feel sick to your stomach or dizzy and pass it off as overeating, or you might think your food was undercooked or that you’re coming down with a stomach bug, when indeed you are suffering from vitamin A toxicity.

The long term effects can include damage to the liver and in severe cases, liver failure. For this reason, vitamin A toxicity warrants its own section. It is one of the most crucial side-effects of fish and krill oil that you want to be aware of.

It’s easy to be in a Catch-22 with any supplement. What helps one body organ might destroy another. That’s why it is so crucial that you do the research, read the labels, and talk to a health care professional before starting any supplement regime. This cannot be stressed enough.

Fish Oil or Krill Oil? The Jury is Still Out

Fish Oil and Cardiovascular Disease

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are widely used in the United States. It is estimated that 7.8% of adults and 1.1% of children in the United States take omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the forms of fish oil, krill oil, or animal-free alternatives, such as algal oil or flaxseed oil (Office of Dietary Supplements, n.d.). It has been reported that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on over-the-counter fish oil (LeWine, Harvard Medical School, 2011). Omega-3 fatty acids have been added to hundreds of food sources, such as yogurt, cereal, juices, and even chocolate bars. You’ll find it listed as an ingredient in milk.

Fish oil has been thoroughly researched, and it has mixed conclusions when it comes to the benefits of heart health.

The New England Journal of Medicine undertook two studies to weigh the benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplements on heart health.

The findings of the first study, released November 2018, found that omega-3 fatty acid supplements did not reduce heart attacks, strokes, or deaths from heart disease in middle-aged men and women who had no known risk factors for heart disease. A 2013 study concluded there was no benefit for those who were at risk for heart disease.

The researchers looked further into subgroups of people who didn’t consume any fish and the results indicated that there could be a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease by taking a fish oil supplement.

Fish Oil and Cancer

You’ve probably heard all of the television and radio commercials, health care professionals, and holistic medicine healers stake claim that fish oil can reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Research has been extensive and inconclusive. Some research has shown that a diet high in fish or fish oil supplements might reduce the risk of certain cancers; however, despite all the promotion, a 2018 study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine reported no decrease in the risk of cancer.

Unfortunately, the consumer needs to weigh the facts when deciding whether to take an omega-3 supplement as a cancer preventative.

What about Krill Oil?

When comparing fish oil to krill oil, it really comes down to a matter of personal preference. There are not enough studies done on the benefits of krill oil to make a conclusive comparison.

Search the Internet and you’ll find a variety of user and manufacturer opinions as to the reason krill oil is the better choice.

Among these opinions is the argument that krill oil contains more important nutrients than its fish oil counterpart.

Krill oil is said to contain high levels of vitamins A, E, and D. In light of what has been mentioned about high levels of vitamin A, this could be a double-edged sword.

The proponents of krill oil say that it contains the antioxidant astaxanthin. Astaxanthin helps to prevent oxidation in krill and fish oil, which in turn lengthens the shelf life and reduces the risk of rancidity. It is also claimed that astaxanthin can be added to fish oil, it is a natural antioxidant found in krill oil.

There is also the argument that krill oil has more stability and that the body can absorb it better; however, there are no studies to provide evidence of these claims.

As for ease of use, both come in the same form of soft capsules, but krill oil does have a longer shelf life. Fish and krill oil capsules should be refrigerated for freshness and content stability.

Proponents of krill oil also claim that the fatty acids are better absorbed in the bloodstream than with fish oil. This would lead to quicker and longer lasting benefits if this claim is true.

Making the choice

As has been mentioned, there’s not enough research to determine what’s best for you. When making the choice, you should weigh all of the pros and cons, and if you aren’t certain, you can always try one for a few months and switch to the other, but leave time between, such as a few weeks so that it leaves your system. This will enable you to decide which worked best for you with the least side-effects.

A Word of Caution

It would be remiss not to mention allergic reactions. Many people are allergic to fish, especially shellfish. This does not necessarily equate to fish oil, and research has shown that fish oil allergies are not common; however, they do occur.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) recommends that you visit a dermatologist with the fish oil supplements you are considering, and have an allergy test for that specific supplement to see if you have a reaction. You might have a blood test to determine what you are sensitive to, and you might wait weeks for the results. If you need to wait, do not take any supplements until you receive your results.

If you don’t have a blood test, you’ll likely get a skin-prick test. Least common is to ingest some of the oil in a medically-controlled environment.

It’s good to be aware of the signs of fish oil reactions. They include:

nasal congestion
wheezing
headaches
itching
hives or rash
nausea or vomiting
swelling of the lips, tongue, face
swelling of the hands or other parts of the body
stomach pain or diarrhea

If you suffer from one or more of the above symptoms of an allergic reaction, contact an emergency medical facility immediately, and bring the supplement bottle with you.

Medical professionals advise that if you have an allergic reaction to fish oil, you should avoid krill oil and other oils such as salmon and cod liver oils.

Unfortunately, there are no current studies to provide evidence that fish oil is safe for those with allergies to shellfish. Also, there are no studies related to krill oil in regard to allergens. As advised with fish oil supplements, it’s best to be allergy tested for krill oil supplements as well.

You might also consider having blood work done when you are four or five weeks into your omega-3 supplement regime. You want to ensure that you are getting the nutrients that you need and aren’t getting too much of what you don’t need.

Environmental Considerations

There are environmental concerns for both fish and krill oil. These should be considered when deciding which is best for you.

As we noted earlier, fish oil is made from the tissues of cold-water oily fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines.

That, of course, leaves the question of sustainable fish-farming practices. Some companies, but not all, do this using sustainable fish-farming practices. This has led to many concerns.

There is the matter of toxins such as mercury, in our large fresh-water sources that fish intake regularly. In some areas, people are discouraged from eating fresh-water fish due to high contents of mercury found in dead fish.

Toxins are passed on from the fish to the end product. This means that some supplements could contain trace amounts of toxicity–not enough to remove the product from store shelves but enough to have the potential to harm in large doses or after long-term daily use.

Worldwide, the fish population is declining because of oceanic pollution. Toxins and trash, such as plastics, have been killing aquatic life in large numbers, resulting in concerns for fish-farming. Not only does it impact the human food source, it impacts the omega-3 sources that are needed to make fish oil.

That’s where krill oil fills the need. As an alternate source of omega-3, krill oil has become more widely used as consumers are made aware of it.

Krill oil is derived from krills that are found in the Antarctic, and are found on open ocean feeding grounds. Unfortunately, research has shown that the krill stock has been rapidly declining since the 1970s.

This is a concern because the krill is a major food source for fish and game. Whales and sharks feast on krill as do many bird species. There is always the concern of upsetting the maine ecosystem, and the rapid decline in the krill species has oceanographic scientists concerned as well as environmentalists.

The risk of krill becoming extinct could hamper the farming of these crustaceans that could lead to the government halting production of foods and supplements using the oil.

Both fish and krill oil face environmental concerns, and fish oil has the potential to cause a health concern for humans.

Non-Supplement Sources of omega-3

If you don’t want to take fish or krill oil supplements, but want the benefits of omega-3, there’s a plethora of natural sources. These include:

Herring
Mackerel
Oysters
Salmon
Sardines
Trout
Tuna
Eggs
Margarine
Milk
Juice
Yogurt
Bread
Cereal
Flaxseed
Oatmeal
Peanut butter
Pasta
Walnuts
Pumpkin seeds
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Kale
Brussel sprouts
Spinach
Kidney Beans

Whether you choose to go natural or use supplements, you have the information you need to make an informed decision.

There is no easy answer to give as to whether fish oil or krill oil is better. This is dependent on your individual needs and concerns.

It can also be dependent on your budget. Krill oil is much more expensive than fish oil. Most over-the-counter fish oils can be found for under $10, with some higher-count bottles running slightly under $20.

Conversely, krill oil can cost as much as $40 per bottle.

Be sure to check the milligrams that you’re getting and the pill count. You’ll also want to check if the pills are gel or solid. Of course, a gel pill is easier to swallow. If you find a supplement that you want, but the pills are large, be sure to ask the pharmacist if the pill can be cut with a pill cutter without losing any potency.

No matter which you decide upon, know that you are helping your cardiovascular health, but be sure to report any side-effects to your healthcare provider.