Krill Oil is an oil that is derived from krill; it contains the same two fatty acids that Fish Oil contains (Eicosapentaenoic Acid, or EPA, and Docosahexaenoic Acid, DHA). However, a large portion of the EPA and DHA in krill is in the form of a phospholipid, with a phosphate group on the end of the fatty acid. This results in higher bioavailability (rate of absorption) of krill oil, and thus the same effects of Fish Oil can be seen with Krill Oil but at a lower dose.
Krill Oil
Summary of Krill Oil
Primary information, health benefits, side effects, usage, and other important details
💊 Get unbiased information on supplements
Our free five day mini-course on supplements teaches you what works, what doesn't work, and what to look out for when buying supplements for yourself.
How to Take
Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details
Supplementation of Krill oil tends to be in the range of 1-3g daily (overall oil weight), which has been used in the clinical trials of krill oil supplementation.
If supplementing in accordance with the omega-3 content, the omega-3 content that is supplemented from krill oil should be equal to approximately 2/3rds that used with basic fish oil supplementation to account for the increased absorption. If one were to normally supplement 1000mg EPA plus DHA, then 660mg of EPA and DHA from krill oil would be equivalent.
Easily stay on top of nutrition research
Become an Examine.com member to get access to the latest research. 150+ studies summarized across 25 different categories every month.
Becoming a member also unlocks our study database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes.
Already a member? Click here to log in.
Make informed decisions about your health
Human Effect Matrix
Unlocked for Examine members
The Human Effect Matrix summarizes human studies to tell you what effects Krill Oil has on your body, how much evidence there is, and how strong these effects are.
Full details are available to Examine members.
| Grade | Level of Evidence [show legend] |
|---|---|
|
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials |
|
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled |
|
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies |
|
Uncontrolled or observational studies only |
|
Level of Evidence
?
The amount of high quality evidence. The more
evidence, the more we can trust the results.
|
Outcome |
Magnitude of effect
?
The direction and size of the supplement's impact on
each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
|
Consistency of research results
?
Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or
VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
|
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Notable
|
Very High See 2 studies |
A decrease in C-Reactive protein has only been noted in rheumatoid arthritis (none in obese but healthy persons) but reached 30% within 30 days of 500mg krill oil, a very significant reduction
|
|
|
|
Notable
|
Very High See 2 studies |
Although one study suggest no such increase (healthy persons), the increase seen in hyperlipidemics exceeded 50% and was remarkable; requires replication
|
|
|
|
Notable
|
Very High See 2 studies |
A decrease in LDL-C has been noted with krill oil, which appears to be to quite a significant degree
|
|
|
|
Notable
|
- See study |
500mg Krill oil reduced symptoms of osteoarthritis up to 30%, which is a pretty significant effect size that requires future research to investigate.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
On obese subjects, this endocannabinoid has been found to be reduced somewhat
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Secondary to reducing symptoms of PMS, a reduction in breast tenderness has been reported
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
The increase in functionality appears to be secondary to reductions in symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Irritability as a side-effect of PMS has been reduced with supplemental krill oil
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
PMS and its symptoms (breast tenderness, stress, and irritability mostly) have been reduced with krill oil supplementation
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Stress as a side-effect of PMS has been reduced with supplemental krill oil
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
Very High See 2 studies |
A decrease in total cholesterol has been noted with krill oil, to a fairly normal degree (reduction is lessened from the remarkable increase in HDL)
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
Very High See 2 studies |
A decrease in triglycerides has been noted with krill oil
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No significant influence on blood glucose levels
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No significant influence on fasting insulin levels
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No significant influence on weight over time
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
A decrease in Apolipoprotein A has been noted with krill oil supplementation
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No significant influence on Apolipoprotein B noted
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
Despite containing PUFAs, no significant changes in lipid peroxidation
|
Stay on top of the latest research
Become an Examine Personalized member to access the latest nutrition research on over 400 supplements across more than 600 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more. Information tailored to you, updated every month.
Bonus: unlock the supplement Human Effect Matrix and all health topics on Examine.com.
Things to Note
Other Functions:
Primary Function:
Also Known As
Euphausiacea superba
Do Not Confuse With
Goes Well With
Due to including fish oil fatty acids in the form of phosphatidylcholine, krill oil holds the potential to be synergisic with any compound demonstrated to be synergistic with those two supplements
For the most part, any 'things to note' on the fish oil page would also apply here due to sharing similar bioactives
Get our free 5-day course on the essentials of supplementation.
At Examine.com, our incentives line up with yours — getting unbiased information. That's why we don’t sell any advertising or supplements.
Join over 250,000 people who have learned about effective versus overrated supplements, tips for buying supplements, and how to combine supplements for safety and efficacy.
Click here to see all 49 references.
