Krill Oil

Krill oil delivers the same cardiovascular workhorses as fish oil — EPA and DHA — but in phospholipid form rather than triglycerides, a structural difference that appears to meaningfully improve absorption efficiency. A study in Lipids in Health and Disease found omega-3 absorption was significantly greater from krill oil than from fish oil at equivalent doses, which means you may need less of it to achieve the same plasma EPA/DHA concentrations. Krill oil also contains astaxanthin, a carotenoid antioxidant not found in most fish oils, which may protect the oil from oxidation both in the capsule and in the body — though clinical benefits of astaxanthin at krill-oil doses remain preliminary. On cardiovascular markers, a randomized trial found krill oil reduced LDL cholesterol by 32–39% and increased HDL by 42–60% compared to baseline, outperforming fish oil in that specific study, though larger comparative trials are still limited. People who have experienced the fishy reflux of standard fish oil, those seeking a more compact omega-3 dose, or anyone interested in the astaxanthin bonus are the natural audience. Krill harvesting raises sustainability questions worth considering; shellfish-allergic individuals should avoid it. Fish oil's more expensive, better-absorbed, sustainability-complex younger sibling.

Also known as: Euphausia superba, Antarctic Krill Oil