The Ultimate Brain Food: Neptune Krill Oil

Speaking of fish in the news lately, tuna scare to boot, it can be a struggle to eat enough of much-needed fish brain food, namely its natural Omega-3's that make up almost half of a person's brain matter. And when we do eat fish, its quality and nutrient levels are often murky at best.

If that is a concern and you're a Costco patron, a heads-up that they started carrying Schiff’s new ‘MegaRed’ Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) – $18.99 for 90 (21 cents each). Also @ Costco Online.

This is a brilliant deal - on average Neptune Krill Oil is usually $20 for 60. Costco’s bringing the best Omega-3 product available en masse at affordable prices for the first time.

The Low Down

Fish and their oils get a bad rep these days. In order to ensure fish oils are free from mercury and other heavy metals, most are "stripped clean" by a process of molecular distillation. All that cleaning and stripping leaves you with the prize, DHA and EPA, fish oil's active ingredients that help your brain cells grow, communicate better, and maximize overall brain functions. While this removes the bad stuff, it also takes away a lot of the good pieces, including fish oil's natural housing, called phospholipids. It's the same lipids that make up the structural membranes of your cell. Instead what remains are DHA and EPA in their "free form" as triglycerides.

Where's My Car, Dude?

Analogous to important passengers without a ride, free form distilled fish oils have to catch a ride with other lipids (fats) in order to reach cells en route the bloodstream, like the heart and brain. So it's recommended to take fish oils with a meal, preferably a fatty one (cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.), so there's rides to be had. Still, the sad fact remains that only 10-30% of these free form fish oils end up catching a ride to, say the brain, where they do the most good. Get fish burps? That signals indigestion, meaning most of the fish oil remain unabsorbed and are in process of being destroyed by your stomach's gastric juices, thus the smelly byproduct.

As a result, most people don't feel the difference with fish oil. It's no surprise since typically less than 30% of its active DHA and EPA mojo gets absorbed by your bod. Where's the kick, you wonder? I'm glad you asked.

Good News - Got Krill? No really, it's all about getting fish oil that's untampered, straight up as nature intended. Upfront, let's just say taking 1 small capsule (with 200-300mg worth) of Neptune krill oil will have the kick for your brain that would normally require gulping down 5-6 regular fish oil capsules. Within 20 minutes, you'll feel your brain circuits revving up and humming into overdrive. You remember things effortless. Think through hard problems without any brain "fog". Stay alert and energized throughout the day. And a whole lot more (it's just astounding for your heart).

Get Real with Neptune Krill Oil. It looks like a small shrimp. We squeeze it into fish oil. Package it into an airless capsule. No distilling needed. Why? They're so small, so are unaffected by pollution. Yep, that means it naturally comes with no mercury or heavy metals. It also means we get an oil that unlike today's standard fish oil also has antioxidants vitamin A, E, Astaxanthin (it's a caratenoid, cousin of beta carotene, that is 10 times more powerful than Vitamin A and E combined) and other marine lipids, plus it comes with its own phospholipid'ing ride. All that boosts absorption to 98% so its DHA and EPA gets into your cells, including your brain and heart, where it does the most good. With all the antioxidants just mentioned, it also naturally gets a 3 year shelf life as is.

And most importantly end of day, you actually feel the difference with Krill. It's a fish oil nuke like no other that naturally jolts your noggin' into action with a potent, delivered package of brain-boosting Omega-3s as nature intended. And more good news: Since Krill is small and fast-reproducing, it's also easily replenished, so it's an environmentally superior choice when compared to other larger, scarcer fish stocks. Plus, with numbers like 98%, no more fish burps. You can take just take ONE or two Neptune Krill Oil capsules and get the same kick as if you took 5-10 regular fish oil ones (imagine how much less annoying it is to swallow one small gelcap and the money you save not having to buy 10X that).

What Does It Mind
Your Brain. Meaning you think and remember better. Better concentration, eliminates brain "fog" and help keep stress at bay. Helps mitigate bi-polarity and ADHD. I've only used Neptune Krill Oil. It's a Canadian company who has a patented process to produce potent, quality Krill Oil that seems to do the trick. Others may work. Neptune seems to be the most reputable so far, though nothing beats your own trial and experience.

What Does It Not
It doesn't help if you take it after noon and if you take more than 1 or 2 capsules. It keeps you awake at night. NKO seems to work best if you take it with breakfast. Your mind may be a bit overwhelmed by all the new connections that get turned on up at Noggin' Central. Take one for a week. Rinse repeat, go from there.

TheHealthMinder Says

Krill Oil is so potent that:

"Women who took [krill oil] for three months reported a 51% boost in energy, alertness, memory, concentration and stamina in a recent Canadian study. And almost 100% described having a greater sense of well-being and happiness."* "Krill have a unique oil that is rich in omega 3 fatty acid, which [fights the signs of aging] so well, studies show it's up to 300 times as high as either vitamin A or vitamin E." "Women who downed krill oil in clinical trials reported an improvement in the look and feel of their hair, skin and nails, along with a 58% reduction in wrinkling and redness."* (Woman's World Magazine, The New Youth Preserver From Under the Sea, May 2004)

Neptune Krill Oil is so effective in part because of its unsurpassed 98% absorption rate – it comes in the natural phospholipids, which are liposomes or little packages that deliver the Omega-3 fatty acids directly to your body's cells, which is also wholly absorbed by the brain’s lipids. In contrast, the standard “stripped-down” (molecularly distilled) triglycerides found in traditional fish oil capsules afford less than 10-30% absorption; it is also responsible for fish burps, signaling indigestion. Incidentally, NKO is naturally free of heavy metals and mercury, given its low status on the food chain (Krill look like really tiny shrimp and eat plankton; a blue whale consumes 8,000 lbs of krill daily).

In my experience, 1 NKO capsule enhance brain functions - thinking, mood, memory, energy - like nothing else I know, naturally delivering a super-packed dose of Omega-3s and antioxidants (Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Astaxanthin and other potent marine antioxidants not found in fish oil) for the brain so you actually do feel a very big difference pretty quickly, unlike standard fish oil supplements. Krill is an abundant and sustainable stock of fish, and I can’t personally say enough about it (just astounding for the heart also; FAQ below has peer-reviewed data).

I would amend Schiff’s directions and advise taking it before noon and preferably with breakfast. Otherwise, you can be awake well into the night.

Ø Taking one 300mg NKO capsule is equal to three 1,000mg fish oil capsules.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Schiff's MegaRed Neptune Krill Oil @ Costco)

With MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil, should I expect to have unpleasant aftertaste or burp-back like I may get from fish oil supplements?

No. As opposed to fish oil, the omega-3 fatty acids in MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil are carried by phospholipids rather than triglycerides. Triglycerides can oxidize and can be difficult to digest. Unlike fish oil, MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil contains endogenous antioxidants that help protect the fatty acids so they do not oxidize as easily. The phospholipids used in MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil closely resemble the phospholipids of each and every cell in the human body; therefore they are easily recognized, incorporated and utilized by the body. So when taking MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil, you should not experience unpleasant aftertaste or burp-back.

Why is MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil better than fish oil?

In a direct comparison, MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil was found to be superior to higher doses of fish oil in improving signs of cardiovascular health.

Specifically, 300mg of MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil (1 softgel) was found to be at least 3x superior to 1000mg fish oil (1 softgel) in improving markers of cardiovascular health. Why? Because MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil is much better absorbed by your body’s cells vs. fish oil (see bottom). DHA and EPA [Omega 3s] found in MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil are carried to the body’s cells in phospholipid form, which greatly increases their uptake into your cell’s membranes. Phospholipids are very important for cellular functioning because they form the structural basis of cell membranes. MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil phospholipids closely resemble the phospholipids of each and every cell in the human body; therefore they’re more easily recognized, incorporated and utilized by the body. 98% of the omega-3 fatty acids from MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil are absorbed into your body’s cells!

All fish oil omega-3 fatty acids come in triglyceride form and have less efficient and slower cell uptake. It’s important to note that it’s not just the omega-3 fatty acids that account for the benefits of MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil, but also the synergistic combination of phospholipid omega-3s with powerful antioxidants. Click here for more details.

Does MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil have health benefits in addition to supporting cardiovascular health?

Yes. MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil supports many areas of health such as supporting healthy mood, immunity and joint health. MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil is a powerful antioxidant which naturally contains Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Astaxanthin and other marine antioxidants not found in fish oil. To illustrate, when you compare the ORAC value of one pill of MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil to the ORAC of other dietary supplements and foods, you can see just how powerful an antioxidant MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil is (ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, and is the most common and comparable way of measuring antioxidant capacity).

Is krill an abundant and sustainable resource?

Yes. Krill is one of earth’s most abundant and sustainable organisms. The harvest of krill is well below conservative international catch guidelines. This helps the ecosystem maintain a healthy, sustainable krill population.

What is the shelf life of MegaRed™ Omega-3 Krill Oil?

Three years shelf life if stored in a dry, dark, cool place.

[Its own antioxidants acts as natural preservatives]

Click here to read about additional clinical studies.

A peer reviewed, published human clinical study showed that when compared to doses of fish oil 2-6X higher, Neptune Krill Oil® (NKO) is superior in improving markers of cardiovascular health. In other words, 300mg Neptune Krill Oil® (1 softgel) is far superior to 1000mg Fish Oil (1 softgel) in improving markers for cardiovascular health.

Impressive cardiovascular benefits

As reported in Woman's World: "Study subjects who started taking krill saw their levels of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol plunge 44% and their triglycerides drop 20%, while levels of artery-clearing HDLs soared 38%. That's enough to cut your heart attack risk in half!"

From the study "Evaluation of the effectiveness of NKO on the clinical management of Hyperlipidemia", the chart below shows the effect after the first 90 days of taking krill oil at a dose of 1 gram (2 softgels) per day for the first 30 days, than 0.5 grams (1 softgel) per day thereafter.

These results were reported for the Hyperlipidemia study of 120 men and women who took 2 - 500 mg softgels of krill oil for 30 days, then a dose of 1 - 500 mg softgel for an additional 60 days. This study was designed as a prospective, randomized double blind phase II clinical trial.