Krill Oil and Fish Oil Comparison - Essay Example

Introduction The jury is still out on whether or not krill oil is a much more effective source of omega 3 fatty acids than fish oil. It was difficult to find scholarly journals on Proquest Database that revolve around the matter since it has not been widely researched. This necessitated a desktop research on reputable online health journals. In choosing the online journals priority went towards journals and websites with long and proven track records in the pharmaceutical as well as medical field. The following are the publishing companies of the journals consulted during research: healthguides.healthgrades.com; www.drugs.com; and mayoclinic.org. The three have journals touching on a number of issues and topics in the above mentioned fields and are credible and reputable organizations. The first journal looks into issues surrounding fish oil, the second discusses krill oil, whereas the third analyses the two types of oils with a view to passing recommendations on the best in as far as the management and prevention of cardiovascular diseases are concerned. Article 1: Omega 3 In Fish: How Eating Fish Helps Your Heart  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/omega-3/art-20045614 The writer begins by stating that omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish have several benefits to the heart. It proposes including fish in weekly diets. For years, there has been a belief that these fatty acids reduce chances of heart failure. But after a series of tests it has been found that the fatty acids work alongside other nutrients in the fish. On the other hand, there are concerns that fish also contain mercury whose harmful nature could outweigh possible benefits. But these concerns are not found because the benefits still surpass the possible contact with the impurities. These fatty acids are not as saturated as those found in red meat. The effect is that they reduce the cholesterol content in the body. But this is not all because they are also effective in decreasing body inflammation which often leads to destruction of blood vessels. In the end, ruptured or impaired blood vessels will result in heart complications. The fatty acids are also critical in lowering blood pressure, blood clotting, and heart rate. The article concludes by proposing the type of fish to eat. It advises against catfish and tilapia which have high concentrations of unhealthy fatty acids. It also proposes boiling and baking as the best preparation methods as opposed deep frying.   Article 2: Krill Oil: Benefits, Dangers, & Side Effects http://www.drugs.com/krill-oil.html Krill falls under the crustacean family and prefer cold oceans. In the recent past, their demand has increased due to the belief that their oil can help to prevent heart diseases. Krill also contain omega 3 fatty acids but is different from the one in fish. The fatty acids in krill after digestion will be absorbed into the body. They are transported via the blood vessels. Another difference is that they in phospholipids state. Fatty acids in krill oil inhibit the secretion of low density proteins and on the other hand trigger the production of their high density counterparts. The low density protein often lines the walls of blood vessels which is the primary cause of high blood pressure. In turn, the heart will be overworked and this might possibly lead to heart attacks. Whereas touted to be much more effective than fish oil, there is no conclusive research on this issue. However evidence suggest that krill contains lower levels of mercury and therefore a better alternative to fish oil. The only shortcoming for krill oil is that krill are only to be found in oceans and seas around the Antarctica, Japan, and Australia. They are not readily available like fish which inhabit all oceans across the world. There have also been concerns about the fishing of krill. Conservationists are concerned that the demand for krill oil could possibly endanger this species. Worse still, krill occupy lower positions in the ocean food chain and provide food for whales, dolphins, and sharks among other predatory water inhabiting species. By continuous and extensive fishing of krill, their population could reduce and upset the ecological balance in the oceans. Article 3: Krill Oil vs. Fish Oil for Heart Health: What's the Better Source? http://healthguides.healthgrades.com/article/krill-oil-vs-fish-oil-for-heart-health-whats-the-better-source The article reports on the continuing debate about whether krill oil is better than fish oil. It begins by stating the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids such as decreasing cholesterol content in the body and preventing the clogging of blood vessels through the buildup of oil on the walls (Goswami, Chaudhuri, & Dutta, 2010). Both fish and krill oil contain these fatty acids and provide supplements for the body which it cannot produce on its own. Furthermore, the American Heart Association has proven that the fatty acids are critical nutrients for the heart and as such can keep diseases at bay. The reason why most people prefer krill oil to fish oil is because they have more nutritional content of Eicosapentaenoic acid. Towards this end, krill contain fatty acids among other nutrients found in various fish species. However, fish cannot match the nutritional content in krill. The article seems to insinuate that krill oil is a better option than fish oil. The effectiveness of krill oil has been proven by Swedish and Norwegian experts who undertook a research on the two products. It involved a small sample of about a hundred participants that were divided into three groups. The first took krill oil, the second fish oil whereas the third group did not take any of the two. At the end of the research, the first group was found to have higher fatty acids in their bodies than the other groups. Another research involving mice also found that krill is effective in decreasing blood lipid content. These studies however are not conclusive since they did not involve patients of cardiovascular diseases and occurred within a short duration. Part B From the above three sources, it is obvious that the two contain omega 3 fatty acids (Greene et al, 2013). Consumption of any of the two by patients of cardiovascular diseases can go a long way in containing the diseases. That krill oil is better than fish oil is still a myth since there are no conclusive researches over the matter. However from the above appraisals, it is obvious that fish oil is readily available than krill. This can also cause of the price of krill to shoot up since it involve expensive means to acquire in addition to the high demand fueled by the perception. However, not all fish contain the right fatty acids. It has been identified that certain species like tilapia contain unhealthy fats which can cause the reverse effect. Heart diseases are very serious and the slightest mistake could be catastrophic if not fatal. Therefore, it requires an expert or a patient that is well versed with the fish species. An ordinary individual can be prone to making the wrong choice when selecting the type of fish to consume. For this reason, krill stands out as the better option since it is standard as opposed to fish oil which extracted from a variety of species (Turchini et al, 2013). In addition, even the fish species containing the omega 3 fatty acids have been found to have unhealthy components like mercury. Whereas experts argue that the benefits of consuming fish outweigh the possible disadvantages, this is a weakness when compared to krill. Krill does not contain such unhealthy components and patients do not have to worry about chances of mercury consumption (Ruiz-lopez et al, 2015). Even though fish oil has been relied upon for much longer, the emergence of krill oil has altered the preference of patients of heart diseases. Fish oil has been effective in improving the conditions of such patients (Fry & Love, 2013). The fact that there is a perception that krill oil is better than fish oil should a sufficient reason for patients to embrace it. This means that some stakeholders within the health sector have identified better qualities in krill than those found in fish. Furthermore, this prompted experts to conduct research on the two types of oil and their results. Whereas krill inhabit specific areas of the world and are not widely spread in other location, there are numerous companies that have taken up the role of providing customers with their oil. There fishing companies in Japan, Australia, and Antarctica that harvest and export krill to various markets. It is therefore not difficult to access krill oil from various locations around the world. Furthermore, technology has gone a notch higher and dealers in the fishing industry can extract the oil from krill and package it in capsules form (Spindler, Mote, & Flegal, 2014). Patients simply have to seek the advice and direction of pharmacists among other certified health practitioners on where to access the products and the prescription. References Fry, jillian p, phd, m.p.h., & love, david c, phd., m.s.p.h. (2013). Environmental public health and recommendations for fish oil and seafood intake/. american journal of public health, 103(11), e3-e4. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1448191009?accountid=35812 goswami, g., chaudhuri, s., & dutta, d. (2010). the present perspective of astaxanthin with reference to biosynthesis and pharmacological importance. world journal of microbiology and biotechnology, 26(11), 1925-1939. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11274-010-0373-z greene, j., m.d., ashburn, s. m., b.a., razzouk, louai,m.d., m.p.h., & smith, donald a,m.d., m.p.h. (2013). fish oils, coronary heart disease, and the environment. american journal of public health, 103(9), 1568-1576. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1431586584?accountid=35812 ruiz-lopez, n., usher, s., sayanova, o. v., napier, j. a., & haslam, r. p. (2015). modifying the lipid content and composition of plant seeds: engineering the production of lc-pufa. applied microbiology and biotechnology, 99(1), 143-154. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6217-2 spindler, s. r., mote, p. l., & flegal, j. m. (2014). dietary supplementation with lovaza and krill oil shortens the life span of long-lived f1 mice. age, 36(3), 1345-9659. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11357-014-9659-7 turchini, g. m., phd., greene, j., m.d., ashburn, s. m., b.a., razzouk, louai,m.d., m.p.h., & smith, donald a,m.d., m.p.h. (2013). fish oils, misconceptions and the environment/greene et al. respond. american journal of public health, 103(11), e4-e5. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1448190953?accountid=35812 Read More