Krill Oil Comparison (Surprising Results)
A company called Neptune Technologies holds the patent for krill oil extraction. Neptune produces virtually all the krill oil around and supplies all the different manufacturers. So, you’d expect that any krill oil supplements you get will have the same breakdown, right?
That’s what I thought, too. But that is absolutely… WRONG!
Imagine my surprise when I did a side by side comparison of several Krill Oil offerings.
| Everest Krill Oil | Famous Dr. Brand | Low-cost Online Brand | Leading “Red” Retail Brand | |
| 1250 mg/serving | 1000 mg/serving | 1000 mg/serving | 300 mg/serving | |
| Total Omega 3 | 300 mg | Not listed | 130 mg | 90 mg |
| EPA | 165 mg | 90 mg | 50 mg | 50 mg |
| DHA | 95 mg | 50 mg | 20 mg | 24 mg |
| Phospholipids | 500 mg | 400 mg | 0 mg | 120 mg |
| Astaxanthin | 1600 mcg | 600 mcg | 1500 mcg | Not listed |
Notice the difference in the EPA, astaxanthin, and phospholipids levels? Read on, and you’ll realize why these results are so disturbing!
So what is Krill Oil and why would you want to use it?
Krill oil comes from krill, a small crustacean that looks like a shrimp. They inhabit the cold water oceans and serve as the primary food for wild salmon and whales.
Krill Oil & fish oil both contain two important long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA. In fish oil, they are in the form of triglycerides. However, in krill oil, they are in the form of phospholipids.
According to Mike Eades, MD: “The phospholipid 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”. (Non-geek-speak: much more of the good stuff is absorbed by your body!)
Also, attached to each fatty acid of EPA in the phospholipid is a molecule of astaxathin, a potent antioxidant. (Which makes me wonder how the “Low-cost Online Brand” above can have 0 phospholipids, but claim to have astaxanthin…)
Numerous studies have shown that astaxanthin has potential health-promoting effects in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as cancers, chronic inflammatory diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, diabetic nephropathy, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, liver diseases, neuro-degenerative diseases, eye diseases, skin diseases, exercise-induced fatigue, male infertility, and HgCl₂-induced acute renal failure.
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Other studies demonstrated:
- a positive effect of 3 grams of krill oil daily on PMS.
- that 300 mg krill oil per day significantly inhibits inflammation and reduces arthritic symptoms within 7-14 days (take even more for better results)
- Krill oil was significantly more effective than fish oil for the reduction of glucose, triglycerides, and LDL levels.
- It takes 37% less Krill oil than fish oil to reduce blood cholesterol. And Krill oil supplementation produces better HDL/triglycerides ratios.. the real indicator in heart disease protection
- when compared to fish oil in terms of ORAC values, krill oil was found to be 48 X more potent than fish oil.
Makes Weight Loss Easier!
And, a new study by Dr. Monahar Garg at University Of Newcastle concluded that krill oil changes levels of “hunger hormones” like ghrelin and leptin, which control appetite!
The study showed people experience a feeling of fullness for longer. This was true even hours after eating meals!
This means faster, easier weight loss because you’ll be less hungry all the time.
Plus, due to it’s rapid absorption, Krill oil almost never produces the burping and aftertaste associated with fish oil!
Lesson Learned?
Even when you think you know what’s in a product… always READ THE LABEL!
The comparison’s I did shows that the best Krill oil value for your money is Everest Krill Oil. This is the brand that I’m currently using myself.
(Two other brands I found that compare with Everest are…
are NutriGold NKO Neptune Krill Oil Gold and NOW Foods Neptune Krill Oil)
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You should multiply the famous red in the 4th column by 4 to get the equivalent to what is in Everest. Everest starts off with 1250mg/serving which is 4x more than the 300mg serving of famous red you are comparing to. Since there is 4x as much krill oil naturally there is 4x as much of the ingredients listed.
The numbers for famous red should be: 1200mg total omega, 300mg EPA, 96mg DHA and 480mg phospholipids
Mike, you are exactly right. Not sure how I overlooked that! HOWEVER, notice that the famous red does NOT list astaxanthin numbers. Could it be because they are removing the astaxanthin from this product and adding it to their joint product? It just doesn’t make sense that they would “overlook” this, when astaxanthin is such a great antioxidant, and to a great extent, is responsible for many of the benefits found in krill oil.
I do know that the Everest brand is lower cost per recommended dosage (1000 mg – 3000 mg) than is the Famous Red.