Fish Oil Vs. Krill Oil (*study)

As we continue to investigate fish oil (read part 1 here), we have come across a very recent study out of Australia, comparing Fish Oil and Krill Oil. Until now, the majority of studies on Krill have been funded by the people selling it (not the worst thing in the world, but objectively problematic).  The study compared several mass-marketed and widely available fish and krill oil dietary supplements for both their long-chain omega-3 composition and content, as well profiling their pollutant index.

All products and categories adhered closely to manufacturer specifications and none exceeded pollutant guideline thresholds. Quality varied (in our opinions) immensely, although only one product scored significantly (200mgs) below label claim for EPA, another actually had 250mgs of extra DHA.

When krill oil was compared across categories to other fish oil products and formulations, it was the most expensive oil relative to the DHA and EPA content. This tells us that although the ingredient is fetching a premium retail price, it’s probably not worth the hype when you can get the same amount of healthy Omega oils from plain fish oil. The tested krill oils were ranked as intermediate for their levels of contaminants relative to fish oil (although none of the products tested outside of the acceptable range, some were far cleaner than others). Noteworthy was the fact that the chemical profiles of the different oils varied with the region they were harvested from – this is worth pointing out because the supplement industry has a long history of claiming unwarranted geographical superiority depending on where an  ingredient originates (New Zealand whey! Bulgarian Tribulus!).

So we’ll continue to keep an eye on the emerging body of literature surrounding fish and krill oil, and keep you updated on where we stand.