Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Cholesterol as We Age Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Every year you most likely go to your doctor for a physical exam and routine blood work. When you look over your blood work you may notice something called a lipid panel or cholesterol panel. Your doctor …
Heart Health As We Age (part 1) Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Keeping our hearts healthy as we age is an important part of healthy aging. However heart health is a huge topic that can take forever to go over! For the sake of this blog …
Krill Oil vs Fish Oil
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One of the most confusing topic’s in the vitamin world is the difference between krill oil and fish oil. I get asked pretty much all the time what exactly is the difference between the 2. How does one pick which one they should use? Well these are all important questions that I’ll be reviewing in this blog. So let’s get into it, shall we?
Before I get into this topic too deeply I want to emphasize that I’ll be strictly talking about Invite’s Krill Oil and Fish Oil. For example some krill oil brands may have fish oil added which would alter some of its properties. Other brands of fish oil may contain different types of fish when compared to Invite. This is neither good nor bad but just different. So to start with just what are krill oil and fish oil? Well both krill oil and fish oil are natural sources of EPA and DHA, or omega 3 fatty acids. Krill oil is an oil derived from tiny shell fish called krill. Invite Fish Oil is derived from Anchovy! Now before you go any further if you are allergic to shell fish it’s not advisable to use krill oil since it is extracted from a shell fish.
As I said fish oil and krill oil are both omega 3s. Krill oil omega 3s are attached to a phospholipid whereas fish oil is attached to a Triacylglycerol. This change in attached molecule can affect how well the omega 3s are absorbed. (1) Studies have found that in some cases krill may be easier to absorb. (2) Another difference is that krill oil is a natural source of Astaxanthin, which studies have shown is good for the heart. (3)
Fish oil has the benefit of being more easily assessable. It has also been studied more since it is older than krill oil. This means we have more information on how it works and any potential side effects or drug interactions. Another benefit to using fish oil over krill oil is that it tends to be higher in omega 3s at a lower cost. (4)
So when to use fish and when do you use krill? And then there is perhaps another of the most frequently asked questions, can I use both fish and krill at the same time? The simple answer is you absolutely can! Using either fish or krill oil is something that can involve several questions to help decide. First off are you allergic to shell fish? Well then you shouldn’t use krill but rather should use fish oil. Are you allergic to Anchovy? Well then you should use krill rather than fish. What is your budget like? Depending on our budget you may find it more convenient to choose one over the other or it may not matter. The next question is what are you goals in taking krill oil or fish oil? In my clinical experience as a Naturopathic I have found that krill oil use is associated with reports from customers as being better at improving memory and overall brain health. That is why when it comes to memory and brain health I usually recommend krill. Now when it comes to heart health and inflammation I find that customer feedback favors fish oil as being more helpful. So basically to sum things up in my clinical experience based on customer feedback I use krill oil for memory/ brain health and fish oil for heart/ general inflammation.
Now I know I mentioned allergies however I also want to mention that due to the fact that krill oil is attached to a phospholipid whereas fish oil is attached to a Triacylglycerol this means that krill is less likely to cause “fish burps” in anyone who is sensitive. Additionally krill oil capsules are smaller than fish oil so if you have trouble swallowing pills you may want to choose krill. Lastly if you do not eat shellfish due to religious reasons you may want to choose fish oil.
Now if you’re still feeling confused feel free to email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com!
Next up will be a Naturopathic viewpoint on the importance of Western and Holistic medicine working together to meet your health goas!
Sources:
FATS~THE SKINNY YOU NEED TO KNOW By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT When talking about health, wellness and diet, the subject of fats always seems to scare people. I’ve heard such things as ‘fats are bad’ to ‘I don’t consume any fats because they’ll …
Subscribe Today! Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode. B-COMPLEX VITAMINS ARE NEEDED FOR A HEALTHY BRAIN, INVITEⓇ HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 667 Hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph. *Intro Music* InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: [00:00:04] Welcome to the Invite Health Podcast, where our …
Written by Dr.Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com†
This will be our last blog on this topic before we have our review on memory and brain health. I wanted to take a moment to talk about typical memory changes associated with healthy aging. In this particular blog I am not referring to dementia or other chronic conditions that cause memory changes. I am simply talking about the changes that occur as we age. †
When it comes to memory changes as we age it is important to see a doctor to rule out any series conditions such as Alzheimer disease. It is also important to do blood work to rule out any deficiencies such as vitamin B12. While it is important to see a doctor to be sure of what’s going on there are some clues you can use to help determine if your memory changes are a normal part of aging or a sign of something else. †
One of the differences you may experience between normal healthy aging and something more series is the difference in frequency of “bad” decisions. In those with normal aging you may make a bad decision once in a while whereas in more severe memory disorders individuals afflicted make frequent poor decisions. Another example of normal aging is missing an occasional bill whereas in more severe disorders an individual is virtually unable to take care of their monthly bills alone. In normal aging you might forget for a moment what day it is, but you remember quickly whereas in contrast in more severe disease you completely loose tract of the date or even year. While people aging normally may lose something from time to time someone with more severe disease will misplace their items and be unable to find them. †
To summarize the main difference between age-related memory changes and severe memory disorders it is the degree and severity of the symptoms. It is important to see a doctor if you find yourself asking the same questions over and over again, if you get lost in familiar places or you are having trouble following directing. It is always important to see a doctor if you notice any changes in your ability to take care of yourself or you find yourself becoming confused. † (1)
What can you do to help age related memory changes? There are quite a few tips and tricks that can help improve memory. †
DAILY FOCUS & MEMORY SUPPORT JUST GOT EASIER, INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 648
LIFESTYLE TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
There are some supplements which I have gone over that studies have found to be very helpful in protecting our brain and memory. I’ll rehash those here: †
SUPPLEMENTS
In our next blog we will be concluding our brain health series with a nice summary and some brain healthy recipes. †
REFERENCES
