Michael R. Eades, M.D.

Hi! That was a great post with a lot of good information. I noticed in your last entry that you're continuing to take fish oil along with the krill oil. After reading your current entry that struck me because the phospholipid form sounds much better. Is it because you can't get EPA/DHA in sufficient quantities from krill oil without getting excessive amounts of vitamins/antioxidants?

Hi Tad--

No, I'm not worried about excess vitamins/antioxidants with the krill oil. I take the fish oil in addition just to get a little more of the good fats in a less expensive form. I figure that there is plenty of antioxidant in the krill oil to cover the EPA and DHA in the fish oil.

Best--

MRE

BTW, my friend's retriever is having arthritis and on a regime of
- krill oil
- COX2Tame
- SAMe Joint (SAMe & glucosamine)
- chondroitine
as well as winstrol (the vet's giving it to her). The supplements are ours and this combo worked remarkably well within 3 weeks. You'd wish that people get treated as well as this particular dog :D
So yes definitely a good idea for pets as well!

Great post Mike but I can't seem to purchase the products online at their web site? Any ideas on how to buy the stuff?

Hi Fred--

Neptune Technologies doesn't sell directly to the public, but it produces all the krill oil that is for sale out there. I've seen it at health food stores, Whole Foods and other natural food markets, and a million places online. It is called Neptune Krill Oil or NKO. Since it all comes from the same place, shop based on price. We are currently looking for a source so that we can put it on our website.

Best--

Mike

I spotted the NKO at Whole Foods last night and it's currently on sale. I would have picked up a couple of bottles but didn't have my checkbook with me so I'm going to go back this weekend and get some. I believe that the tag said the sale price is good until 8/1/06. I can't recall the price off-hand (I have a hard time remembering numbers) but had just been looking up prices on NKO yesterday afternoon and it was definitely cheaper than what I had been looking at. I'm going to give the curcumin a try, too.

Also, I have a question. Just how much fish oil should one take? I currently take 3 caps a day of the Carlson Norwegian Salmon Oil. I used to take 6 until I read somewhere that that was too many but other sources say 6 is ok so I'm getting rather confused. Thanks for posting about GLA. I think I must have read the same thing about it that you did and started to take it but based on what you've said, I've eliminated it. Also, what do you think of flax? A lot of folks are crazy about it but I can't eat the ground meal as it triggers my IBS symptoms and the oil is rather pricey and it's my understanding that the fish oil is better anyway. Thanks!

Hi Esther--

You don't really have to take a lot of fish oil to get the benefit from it. As I posted, I'm taking two fish oil and two krill oil capsules per day, which is probably about all I would recommend.

If you're on a low-carb diet I would avoid the GLA.

I don't think a whole lot of flax. The fatty acids you need are the EPA and the DHA, neither of which the flax contains; your body has to convert the particular type of omega-3 contained in flax oil into fats. If you're ill, or getting a little old, or diabetic, o have any number of problems your conversion apparatus doesn't work optimally so you don't get the amounts of EPA and DHA you need from the flax oil. Why not let the fish or krill do the conversion for you and get the EPA and DHA already formed?

Best--

MRE

Hi Doctor , my husband and I use a krill oil as well . The company that makes it has extremely high standards and it's called MarineOmega .

Hi Cindy--

Unless I miss my bet, the krill oil contained in the MarineOmega product comes from Neptune Technologies.

Best--

MRE

Oh I forgot to mention that the makers of MarineOmega actually send someone from their company to examine the Krill for perfection before they agree to buy .

Hi, I get a lot of nasty aftertaste/reflux from fish oil caps(and I'm on Prevacid for a hiatal hernia). Is this true of krill?
Thanks.

Hi Elaine--

One of the many virtues of krill oil is that it doesn't have the problem of fishy reflux/burping/aftertaste. Because of its phospholipid structure the krill oil absorbs much more rapidly, and because of the high concentration of anti-oxidants the oil stays fresh. I would give it a try.

If you want to try a different fish oil, try Nordic Naturals. It's the only brand I've ever used that virtually never gives 'fishy' reflux.

Best--

MRE

My husband tried to take fish oil and it made him sick (not sure what kind of sick) however the flax oil doesn't so he has been taking that. He has heart disease with one blocked artery and is on a whole mess of pills.
Would the krill oil be a replacement for fish/flax oil for him?
thanks
Cathie

Hi Cathie--

The fact that is absorbs so well and reduces the problems with fish oil is the major virtue of krill oil. Tell him to give it a try. Let me know how is works out.

Best--

MRE

I read the rheumatoid arthritis extract. It seems that I could reduce my daily intake of 10 grams of fish oil to 3 grams of krill oil. This assumption is based on the finding that 1 gram of krill oil was more effective than 3 grams of fish oil.

I found another supplier of krill oil. NSI at vitacost.com. I was delighted to calculate that the daily cost of krill oil would only rise to 39 cents a day from 25 cents/day for fish oil.

Unfortunately, the NSI oil is not as potent, with 1/3 the EPA per gram and almost 1/4 the DHA. And the Astaxanthin is 2 mg versus 15 mg. So the low-cost NSI krill oil is probably not as effective as Neptune.

Probably my solution will be to take a combination of krill oil and fish oil. The prospect of improvements in lipoproteins and glucose control seem worth the trouble.

Hi Dave--

Keep me posted on how you do.

Best--

MRE

About the Neptune astaxanthin 15mg level. I was misled by a label typo. I believe that 1.5 mg is correct for Neptune.

Hello.

Doesn't krill oil contain Omega 6? Are you concerned at all about ingesting any additional Omega 6?

Thanks.

Hi Diana--

There is a minuscule amount of omega-6 in krill oil, which is no big deal because there is so much more omega-3. It's the ratio of the two that matters. Most foods contain some omega-6. Even a beef steak will have a little. Don't worry about the tiny bit in krill oil.

Best--

MRE

Hi Dr. Mike! I've really been enjoying your blog. I hadn't heard of krill oil before, and it is fascinating (although far out of reach of my budget at this time, unfortunately). I can see that the krill oil (and/or a cold water fish BODY oil) would be a *better* choice, but do you and MDE still consider the Carlson's (lemon-flavored) cod liver oil to be a decent product? I took 1 tablespoon per day for a number of years until I couldn't afford it any more, and I hope to be able to squeeze it back into my budget pretty soon here.

Hi Donna--

Yes, we still think that Carlson's cod liver oil is fine. At the time we recommended it we couldn't find any fish oil capsules that we thought were good (i.e., lacking in peroxidized oils); now there are a number of fish oils out there that qualify.

Best--

MRE

i was wondering about mercury (heavy metal) content in the krill oil - how does it compare to say Carlson's or Nordic Naturals' CLO? my concern is a child with mercury-related autism. thanks!

Hi Louise--

Don't worry about the mercury, heavy metals, etc. because there are none. Krill, due to their size and the fact that they are at the bottom of the food chain, have virtually no contaminants. The oil extraction process of Neptune Technologies gets out anything that may be there. I would have no hesitation using Neptune krill oil with a patient with autism. In fact, I suspect it would help.

Best--

MRE

hi, i have a question. Is there any experience with intake of krill oil by autistic infants? In terms of effective doses, and margins to them maximum intake/day).

On parents' forum, I found NKO mentioned occasionally as an interesting option yet I haven't found any scientific publication on the subject.

My concern is with my autistic daughter who is 2 1/2 years of age and 14 kilo's body weight.

Hi Ben--

I've read one paper that was a case report of an autistic girl (I'm pretty sure it was a girl because I remember thinking when I read the paper how few girls are autistic compared to boys) who made pretty remarkable improvement on krill oil. I don't know if she had been tried on fish oil first and then switched to krill oil or had simply been put on krill oil to begin with.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to give the krill oil a try. I would puncture one of the gel caps a squirt the contents into something your daughter likes to eat and mix it in. One capsule about 4 or 5 times per week should be plenty.

If you haven't read them yet, a couple of pretty good sources on treatment of autism are:

The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism by Stephanie Marohn This book can be had through Amazon.com and found in bookstores.

Biological Treatments for Autism and PDD by William Shaw, MD. This book you can find at the following site: www.greatplainslaboratory.com. Great Plains Lab does a lot of the testing for various parameters checked in autistic kids.

Good luck. Keep me posted.

MRE

Dr. Mike,

After reading your excellent article on Krill oil, I simply had to research it myself, and spent several hours on the internet this morning. I am convinced it is far superior to traditional fish oil capsules. It's too bad it never caught on in the marketplace. My local health food store, Lindbergs, said they sold it a few years ago but it never caught on, so they stopped selling it!

Two other stores in my immediate area do carry it - Whole Foods, and a smaller health food store, so I bought some. However, you and your readers might be interested to know that I just found out amazon.com is selling different brands of krill oil at amazing prices - half of what I paid for it today at the store.

Just thought I'd let you know in case you want to pass on the word.

Hi Sheryl--

Thanks for the info. I'll be happy to pass it on.

Best--

MRE

I take cod liver oil caps, would it benefit me to also take krill?
I have low thyroid function and am on synthroid. That and
nexium are the only meds I take. Also my husband has back problems annd High blood pressue, would this help him?

Thank you
Doris De Jong

Hi Ms. De Jong--

I can't make specific medical recommendations, but I can say that in my case and those of others posting comments here the addition of krill oil helps.

Krill oil contains a number of anti-inflammatory agents along with the EPA and DHA. making it a more potent anti-inflammatory agent that plain cod liver oil.

Best--

MRE

Dr. Mike,

I just read an alarming report on Jean Carper's blog. I cut and past the email address for you:

www.jeancarper.com/newsflash/1727 - 18k

In it she says that all the benefits I'm reading about krill oil are a lot of hype, and that regular fish oil is more beneficial. In this blog she states that fish oil is a better source of antioxidants than krill oil and cites CoQ10, etc. in fish oil. But isn't the CoQ10 she talks about,an ADDED antioxidant? It is my understanding that Krill oil contains it's own NATURAL antioxidants. She also says that krill oil is a much less potent source of fish oil, and what we're reading in the press is bunk, more or less.

She goes on to state that there are only two studies done to back up krill oil, done by the manufacturer, whereas fish oil has 40 years of studies to back it up.

Dr. Mike, please give your opinion of this. I realize that Jean Carper is a medical journalist only reporting what she finds. Please say it ain't true! From what I read, I was very impressed with the benefits of krill oil and the double blind studies they used. Also, it's my understanding it takes less of krill oil to do what a higher amount of regular fish oil can do in one's system.

Dr. Mike, what do you think?

Sincerely, Sheryl

Hi Sheryl--

What can I say? Based on my research on the subject, she's simply wrong. You are absolutely correct in everything you write in your last paragraph.

Best--

MRE

Dr. Mike,

My "duh" moment has passed since I sent you my comment a moment ago. I went back on Jean Carper's website.

Jean Carper is SELLING fish oil capsules on her website! Enough said!

Sincerely, Sheryl

Hi again Sheryl--

I'm soon going to be selling my favorite fish oil on my website along with krill oil (if I can find a source I like). I guess that will make me suspect, too.

Cheers--

M

Dr. Mike, if you can get us decent prices on the krill oil, I'm sure you'll have yourself customers, me included!

Hi Sheryl--

That's why I'm trying to find a good distributor.

Cheers--

MRE

what is the size if the krill oil market and what is the price level in bulk. i was wondering if you could comment on the present situation as well as future forecast;

Hi Szemioth--

I haven't a clue as to the size of the krill oil market. Nor do I know what it costs in bulk since I've never ordered it that way.

I only know that it works and why; I haven't made a study of the economics of the krill oil business.

Wish I could be of more help.

Best--

MRE

Thanks for all the good dope on krill. I has angina starting in 2002 getting steadily worse. In July 2003 I started taking 6 caps a day of Res-Q 1250 (fish oil concentrated with 750mg of EPA and DHA in each 1250mg pill) and 2 of LDLX, a red rice yeast, as recommended and sold by www.n3inc.com They promised that my total cholesterol would come down in 8 weeks (it did from 240 to 160) and that after that my arteries would start cleaning out.

In 12/2003 my angina peaked, I got a nuclear stress test and was invited to have an angiogram the next week. I declined and hoped that Res-Q would work. By 10/2004 my angina had disappeared. This past march I had a 64 slice CT scan which disclosed that I had one 50% block of hard placque (calcium) and several soft blocks of about 20-30%. The doc said my arteries were as good as most 30 year olds (I am 70). The 64 slice machine is as good if not better than an angiogram (the pictures show exactly where blockage is and precisely how severe a block. I could see for myself. I highly recommend that everyone with any doubt get 64 slice CT scan (machines are about a year old now) or wait a year or more for the next version, a 128 or 256 slice which will really be accurate. Takes about 6 minutes.

I don't quite understand why you still take fish oil as well as the krill. Is this a cost issue only or if not why not take 3 krill instead?

Best regards, Ben

Hi Ben--

Good question. Although the krill works at lesser doses, I continue to take the fish oil just because the studies on heart rhythm were all done with fish oil. I guess I'm just trying to cover all my bases. If I were going to take just one supplement, though, it would definitely be the krill oil.

I'm glad to hear of your success with the fish oil. Keep it up.

Best--

MRE

Hi Doc,
I have been doing alot of research on the net about Krill oil and couldn't find anything negative about it.I have eaten shrimp all my life and on rare occasions i have experienced a mild itching between my fingers but that's about it and i have been to an allergist who tested me for allergy to shrimp and they told me i showed an allergic reaction on my skin.They said i should not eat shrimps or lobsters but i have been consuming these products all my life with no serious side effects.My question to you is could i take krill oil in small amount and gradually build up my dosages over a period of weeks or months? I would appreciate any advice you can give me on how to build up my tolerance to this great product. Thank you.

Best Regards,
Max Parsanlal.

Hi Max--

If you've been eating shrimp and lobster all your life without problems, I doubt that the krill oil will bother you. I would be careful just the same and maybe puncture one of the caplets and try a tiny dose first (a fraction of a caplet--it doesn't' taste bad) and work up from there. Remember, anaphylactic reactions can be fatal, so if you've had a problem, I would recommend that you should try your first 'dose' with someone present.

Best--

MRE

Hello,

I started taking krill oil shortly (1 month) before I discovered Mike's info on it here. It seems it may have helped with some agravating knee pain I was experiencing the past couple years.

I was suprised to find out that all "NKO" krill oil is manufactured by the same source. So it's ok to "shop based on price" assuming they store it properly. I did some researching and bought from the cheapest (reputable looking) source at $20 shipped. But I noticed a stronger fishy smell with this brand, although it is also NKO krill oil, with a year left on the expiration date.

I did the bite test and it doesn't taste good, but bearable. Got a slight bad aftertaste. Didn't bite test the first brand for comparison (already used up). So I don't know if that's just how krill oil always tastes. Also noticed the softgel is almost hard instead of flexible like the other brand. I'm thinking it's not spoiled, but perhaps less fresh. I'm not sure though. Considering throwing it out to be on the safe side and buying from the first place again (which sells in higher volume, so fresher maybe). What's everyone elses experience with the NKO krill oil softgels?

Hi Rich--

The type we use originate--as do they all--from Neptune Technologies. I've never yet gotten a batch that had a unpleasant smell. Since you purchased yours for about $20, which is the cheapest I've ever seen them, I wonder if Neptune off loaded a bunch that were a little long in the tooth for a low, low price? I don't know; I'm just speculating.

MRE

Hi Mike M.D.

Thanks for the feedback on your experience. Have you ever come across NKO softgels that are hard (not flexible to touch)? I contacted the company about returning for a refund (awaiting their response).

Hi Rich--

All of the NKO caplets I get are soft. I've never encountered one that is hard. If I did I would probably send it back as well.

Best--

MRE