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 supplement information
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 the latest nutrition research
Become an Examine Member to get access to the latest research. Get 150+ studies summarized for you across 25 different categories every month.
Members also have access to the Examine Study Database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes, as well as in-depth research analyses. Understand the whole body of nutrition and supplement evidence at a glance.
Get instant access — start your free 14-day trialAlready a Member? Click here to log in.
Human Effect Matrix
Unlocked for Examine Members
Easily stay on top of the latest nutrition research
Become an Examine Member to get access to the latest research. Get 150+ studies summarized for you across 25 different categories every month.
Members also have access to the Examine Study Database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes, as well as in-depth research analyses. Understand the whole body of nutrition and supplement evidence at a glance.
Get instant access — start your free 14-day trialAlready a Member? Click here to log in.
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. Not a Member? Try Examine Membership completely free for two weeks.
| 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
|
- See study |
300 mg Krill oil reduced symptoms of arthritis up to 30%, which is a pretty significant effect size that requires future research to investigate.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
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
To unlock the full archives of our Study Database and research analyses, become an Examine Member today.
Start your 14-day free trialStudy Deep Dives
Click here to become an Examine Member and stay on top of the latest research.
Things to Note
Primary Function:
Other Functions:
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, 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.
