Study
Krill oil increases plasma omega-3 fatty acids more than fish oil in healthy adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
In 72 healthy adults, 1.1 g/day omega-3 from krill oil raised plasma EPA and DHA about 1.5-fold more than fish oil.
Summary Does krill oil raise omega-3 levels more than fish oil? Show / hide ↓
Researchers randomly gave 72 healthy adults either krill oil or fish oil for 12 weeks. Each daily dose provided 1.1 grams of omega-3 fats, and neither the participants nor researchers knew who received which product. They measured EPA and DHA, two types of omega-3 fat, in plasma, the liquid part of blood. Krill oil led to about 1.5 times larger increases in both fats than fish oil.
What this means for you: Krill oil may raise blood omega-3 levels more at this dose, but the study did not show better heart health, thinking, or longer life. It is not enough evidence to justify paying more for krill oil.
early evidenceThis double-blind randomised trial compared krill oil with fish oil in 72 healthy adults, including 53 women and 19 men. Thirty-six participants received each product for 12 weeks. Both groups received 1.1 g/day of omega-3 fatty acids. Plasma EPA and DHA were measured at baseline and after 1, 2, 4 and 12 weeks.
Krill oil produced about 1.5-fold greater increases from baseline in plasma EPA and DHA than fish oil. The time-by-treatment interaction was significant for EPA, p = 0.0001, and DHA, p = 0.005. Sex modified the EPA response: women had a 1.5-fold larger increase than men at week 12, with p = 0.026 for the time-by-sex interaction. APOE4 carriers increased EPA threefold and DHA 1.6-fold from baseline after either supplement, but their changes were not significantly different from those of non-carriers.
This is a bioavailability study. It establishes different plasma fatty-acid responses at the stated dose, not superiority for cardiovascular events, cognition, symptoms or lifespan. The abstract does not report clinical outcomes. Its inference that lower krill-oil doses may achieve adequate enrichment is based on plasma measurements, not on demonstrated health effects.
Krill oil increased plasma omega-3 fatty acids more than fish oil regardless of APOE4 genotype.
The 72 healthy adults were followed for only 12 weeks, and the endpoints were plasma fatty acids. Higher circulating EPA and DHA do not by themselves establish better clinical outcomes.
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