Consumption of marine foods, including fish and seafood, has been linked to reduced plasma triglycerides, increase plasma HDL and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. The benefits of consuming fish and seafood are thought to be from the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content within those foods. Fish and seafood have a rich supply of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic, EPA, and docosahexaenoic, DHA. These two long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids have been the focal point of thousands of scientific research articles.
Effects of EPA
EPA is a very long chain, 20 carbon backbone, highly unsaturated, 5 points of unsaturation, omega-3 fatty acid. When you consume fish oil, such as a 6-oz. salmon fillet, you will intake about 8 g of total fat. Of the fat you consumed, about 700 mg of that is EPA. EPA provides a greater reduction in plasma lipids compared to DHA, but both produce significant reductions compared to other omega-3 fatty acids.
Effects of DHA
DHA is a very long chain, 22 carbon backbone, highly unsaturated, 6 points of unsaturation, omega 3 fatty acid. If you eat the same six ounce salmon fillet, about 2.4 g of the total fat is DHA. Due to the higher content of DHA in salmon, and most fish oils, it has been suggested that DHA provides more of the beneficial blood lipid and cardiovascular disease effects.
Fish Oils
Fish oil has been extensively researched and is available in both prescription and over the counter forms. The benefits provided are reduced plasma triglycerides and increased plasma HDL, resulting in a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Fish oil supplements will generally contain about twice the omega-3 and about half the saturated fat content compared with krill oil.
Krill Oils
Krill is thought to provide the largest biomass on the planet and is primarily consumed by marine animals such as whale and squid. Neptune Krill Oil, and all krill, incorporates about 50 percent of their fatty acids into phospholipid, whereas fish incorporate the majority of their fatty acids into triglyceride. When you consume a krill oil supplement, you will likely see similar results to that of a fish oil supplement. The benefit of consuming krill oil appears to be in the potency, with krill oil significantly more effective at raising plasma HDL cholesterol and reducing plasma triglycerides, while there were only slight differences in plasma total and LDL cholesterol.
References
- "Alternative Medicine Review"; Evaluation of the Effects of Neptune Krill Oil on the Clinical Course of Hyperlipidemia; R Bunea, et al.; December 2004.
- "Lipids"; Metabolic Effects of Krill Oil Are Essentially Similar to Those of Fish Oil but at Lower Dose of Epa and Dha, in Healthy Volunteers; SM Ulven, et al.; January 2011.
Member Comments