Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
How do you know what supplements are best to support cardiovascular health? And what else should you be doing in terms of diet and exercise? The good news is there are some basic guidelines that I can share with you that may be beneficial.
In today’s episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. discusses the importance of fish oils in your diet, specifically krill oil in the support of heart health.
For years, heath experts have been touting the benefits of fats from fish, and rightfully so. Fish and other seafood are considered the best source of fats from the Omega-3 family, which includes the fatty acids EPA and DHA. Most people do not get nearly enough Omega-3 fats in their diet, and as a result, miss a significant opportunity to protect their heart, brain and manage inflammation throughout the body. Most people also eat a disproportionate amount of Omega-6 fats, which are already plentiful in our diets. Poor quality diets loaded with processed foods tend to be excessive in Omega-6 fats, like corn, canola and soybean oil, margarine, mayonnaise and shortening.
There are some critical differences between fish oil and krill oil that make krill stand out as a superstar.
Structure. Krill oil is a phospholipid (a fat bound to the mineral phosphorus), which is the same structure as our cell membranes. Most fish oils are bound to triglycerides or ethyl-esters, where krill, because it is a phospholipid, contains a much higher percentage of free EPA and DHA. This means that our cells absorb and incorporate krill much more efficiently.6
Absorption. Krill oil is simply much more bioavailable than traditional fish oils, which first require the liver to free the fatty acids from their triglyceride base and then add phosphorus so our cells can utilize it. Krill oil also has a natural protector built right in, in the form of a very powerful carotenoid and antioxidant called astaxanthin. Fish oils and unsaturated fats in general are vulnerable to oxidation and rancidity, but the astaxanthin protects the krill oil.
Antioxidant Protection. Astaxanthin is one of the most powerful antioxidants that have ever been measured, and it is also what gives krill oil its red color. This amazing antioxidant is one of the most effective neutralizers of free radicals and oxidative damage. It is 550 times more powerful than Vitamin E, and 6,000 times more powerful than Vitamin C.7 Krill oil also provides the naturally occurring B-vitamin choline, which becomes acetyl-choline. Acetyl choline is essential for memory and brain function, liver health, nerve communication and muscle function, including healthy heart muscle function. Lacking choline in the diet sets the brain and more specifically memory function to deteriorate yet the NHANES Survey indicates that 90% of all Americans do not obtain sufficient Choline from the diet.
Move Over Fish Oil! There’s a New Omega In Town! Click here to read more >>
Antarctic-sourced Krill is a shrimp-like crustacean that supplies EPA and DHA, supporting cardiovascular health, including circulation and blood fats already within a normal range and brain health, including memory.
What Take InVite® Krill Oil 500MG Supplement?
For years, heath experts have been touting the benefits of fats from fish, and rightfully so. Fish and other seafood are considered the best source of fats from the Omega 3 family, which includes the fatty acids EPA and DHA. Most people do not get …
A new study, conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) entitled, “The Ranger Resilience and Improved Performance of phospholipid bound Omega-3s” (RRIPP-3), will determine if omega-3 supplementation, Krill Oil, can improve cognitive processes in high-performing warfighters from the US Army. The trial started …
For years, heath experts have been touting the benefits of fats from fish, and rightfully so. Fish and other seafood are considered the best source of fats from the Omega-3 family, which includes the fatty acids EPA and DHA. Most people do not get nearly enough Omega-3 fats in their diet, and as a result, miss a significant opportunity to protect their heart, brain and manage inflammation throughout the body. Most people also eat a disproportionate amount of Omega-6 fats, which are already plentiful in our diets. Poor quality diets loaded with processed foods tend to be excessive in Omega-6 fats, like corn, canola and soybean oil, margarine, mayonnaise and shortening.
While it was once thought that these vegetable oils were good for the heart, there is strong evidence that too much of these processed industrial vegetable fats can lead to or worsen heart disease. The British Medical Journal recently published a meta-analysis using research from the Sydney Diet Heart Study, a single blinded, parallel group, randomized controlled trial conducted in 1966-1973. The study involved 458 men aged 30-59 who had a recent coronary event like angina (chest pain) or a heart attack, who were divided into two groups – one group was instructed to reduce saturated fat intake to less than 10% of caloric intake, while increasing intake of linoleic acid from safflower oil (a fat rich in Omega-6 and devoid of Omega-3) to 15% of energy intake. These recommendations are in accordance with dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association. The control group received no dietary advice and both groups were followed for 39 months. The Omega-6 group had a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease during the over three years the research was conducted, compared with 11% in the control group1. The Omega-6 group also had a higher risk of death from all causes. The researchers stated with great emphasis that there was significant need to rethink the dietary advice to substitute saturated fat for vegetable oils. Omega-6 fats build the molecules that our immune system uses to turn on inflammatory responses and tend to contribute to chronic diseases. They are especially damaging for the cardiovascular system, as inflammation is the root of heart disease.
What is unparalleled for cardiovascular wellness is excellent intake of Omega-3 fats, while reducing Omega-6 fats. Healthy ratios of Omega-6 to Omega-3 are at least 3:1. However, many Americans consume a diet with an Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio closer to 20:1 or even 50:1. One of the best ways to protect your heart (and your brain, eyes, joints, GI tract and the rest of your body) is to take an Omega 3 fatty acid supplement. Until recently, most supplements that provided direct sources of EPA and DHA (the beneficial Omega-3 fats) came from fish oils, commonly sourced from sardine, anchovy and mackerel. While these sources are excellent, there is a new source of EPA and DHA that is superb. It is the Alpha Omega-3 called krill oil. Krill are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans (sea animals) and despite their small size, are likely the most abundant species of animals on the planet.2 Like fish oil, krill oil contains EPA and DHA.