Krill oil is a naturally occurring oil that is taken from krills, which are small crustaceans resembling a shrimp. They're considered to be near the bottom of the food chain, as penguins, seals, squid and other marine mammals eat them.
They are predominately found in the colder oceans such as the Antarctic and the North Pacific Ocean. Krill are small animals, ranging from 1-5 cm long. This oil is sold in health food stores as a nutritional supplement and have many health benefits as noted below.
Why Should You Take It?
One of the main reasons why krill oil is becoming so popular is it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. But unlike fish oil capsules, the chemical makeup of this oil makes it much more absorbable than fish oil at the cellular level.
It has many antioxidants too. In fact, the antioxidants found in this oil are 40 times greater than fish oil.
One antioxidant that is found in it is known as Astaxanthin. It has an orange color, and is the same ingredient that makes carrots orange.
Unlike other antioxidants, Astaxanthin has the ability to cross the blood brain barrier, where it could protect the eye and the central nervous system from damage by free radicals. Astaxanthin has almost 5 times as many antioxidants as Coenzyme Q10.
In fact, their antioxidant potency was measured using the ORAC method, a method that can compare the antioxidant levels of different foods.
When compared to antioxidants such as vitamins A and B, Lutein, fish oil, Coenzyme Q10, it was found to be in 48 times more potent than fish oil, and 38 times more potent than Coenzyme Q10.
Regarding its benefits, there are many. There have been numerous research studies regarding the effect it has on cholesterol levels. The results of one study was extremely positive, indicating that it actually reduced the bad, or LDL cholesterol, by 34% and increased the good, or HDL cholesterol, by 43%.
Fish oil, by comparison, didn't fare as well, with all changes to cholesterol levels decreasing less than 10%. The omega-3 fatty acids it contains also help to minimize the risk of developing heart disease.
Also, it has a longer shelf life than fish oil. Furthermore, it doesn't need to be refrigerated, and can last for two years at room temperature before going bad.
Here are some other benefits of krill oil:
It improves concentration and memory
It helps to control blood sugar levels in diabetics
It gives relief from the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome
It reduces inflammation that is associated with arthritis
It can help you lose weight
It can help decrease inflammation and increase respiratory function in those suffering from asthma
It can treat skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis
It may reverse early stage colon cancer
It can lower high blood pressure
How Much Should I Take?
Krill oil can be very powerful, and may produce beneficial results for you in a relatively short period.
You should start with the recommended dosages for a while, and then start to make small adjustments, either up or down, noticing how you feel. This will help you to find the dosage that is best for you.
Small individuals: Small individuals should begin with the dosage of 2 grams of krill oil for the first couple of weeks.
After that, switch to a maintenance dosage of 1 g daily.
Average sized Individuals: Start with a dose of 1.5 g per day. For a 500 mg gel cap, that would translate to three caps a day.
Maintain this dosage for 2-4 weeks, switching to a maintenance dose of 1 g or two gelcaps daily.
Large sized individuals: The dosage for larger size individuals is the same as for average size individuals, but the starting dosage should be maintained for four weeks before switching to a maintenance dose.
Are There Any Side Effects or Contraindications?
Apparently, there are few side effects from using krill oil, if less than four or five softgels are taken daily. Noted side effects are diarrhea, indigestion and loose stools.
However, people with allergies to seafood shouldn't use this oil.
Also, individuals that are taking blood thinners such as Coumadin should only use it under the supervision of a doctor.
People taking herbs or supplements that increase the risk of bleeding, such as garlic and ginkgo biloba should use it cautiously.
If you're looking for an alternative to fish oil capsules, krill oil could be just the ticket. These small crustaceans pack quite the nutritional punch.
Although they are more expensive than fish oil, when regarding your health, they are the obvious way to go. Last, they have no aftertaste, as fish oil capsules commonly do.
Free Filemaker Pro Herbal Database
If you are wanting a way to keep information about all of your favorite herbs, then this free Filemaker Pro database is for you. Included in this database are records for some of the most popular herbs and includes the following information:
Photographs for over 90 herbs
A brief summary describing each herb
Herbal actions for 94 herbs so you can see at a glance how they work including a pop-up menu of all the herbal actions for each record so that you don't have to manually type them in for each new record you create
What conditions these herbs help to treat
The recommended dosage for each herb
Any side effects and contraindications for each herb including a pop-up menu of over 116 side effects so that you don't have to type in each side effect for each new record you create
Alternate names for each herb, in case you didn't know that dioscorea villosa is the same as wild yam
Google search capability - look up from within FMP any new herbs so that you can create new records, expanding your database
Multiple layouts makes navigation around your database much easier, just click a button to change layouts
Sort your records in ascending or descending order by just clicking a button
Completely customizable - Don't like what your layouts look like, change them. Not only can you change the database's look and feel, you can add or delete any fields should you desire.
Works with Macs and PCs
Find capability - Just click the find button at the top of each window, enter in what you're looking for, and Filemaker Pro instantly finds it for you
PLUS:
Healthy Living Spotlight - * A subscription to my newsletter which is filled with new articles regarding all things health not found on the website, plus lots of free goodies, periodically delivered directly to your email in box.
After completing the form below, you will receive an email asking you to confirm the address given just to be sure someone did not submit your email address without your knowledge. Upon confirmation, you will receive a link to download the database.
