Comments on: Krill Oil Research

By: TJ

TJ — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:04:43 +0000

Great Blog, very informative.

I’ll be searching for a new online shop as the one I used to purchase my krill oil from shut down.

By: JP

JP — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:13:02 +0000

Hi Geos.

As far as I can tell, the Healthy Origins CoQ10 products seem fine. They use reliable sources of ubiquinol and ubiquinone and the test results I’ve come across haven’t raised concerns in my mind.

Be well!

By: geos1991

geos1991 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:30:58 +0000

i wish a good year to all of u full of success and wellness in constrast with what we expect here in greece..
hi JP,
my grandfather was diagnosed with parkinson’s disease symtoms.his doctor highly proposed a solid ubiquinol supplement choice along with the common treatment. after some research i found healthy origins line of products which has some good values of ubiquinone and ubiquinol but i seem to be unable to find some good review source of this brand and i dont trust the consumer lab when it comes to reviews so i came straight here >_< .have u heard anything about that brand and do u have in mind a better one with a value of 400 mg or more?rly thx!!

By: JP

JP — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:21:17 +0000

Hi Joe.

It really depends on the composition of the product in question. For instance, lipid-based ubiquinol products (usually sold in soft gels) have a shorter shelf life than dry, encapsulated forms (in capsules).

Most soft gels I’ve seen have a shelf life of approximately 2 years.

According to one study, diarrhea is one of the most common adverse reaction to ubiquinol supplementation:

http://j.mp/tHzoKz

Be well!

By: JP

JP — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:14:24 +0000

Hi Jay.

I’m unaware of any specific research re: astaxanthin and libido. However, here are a few studies that may be relevant:

http://www.jissn.com/content/5/1/12

http://www.nature.com/aja/journal/v7/n3/abs/aja200549a.html < --- full text available via a PDF file at this URL

Also, here's a recent column I wrote about astaxanthin:

http://www.healthyfellow.com/1013/astaxanthin-update/

Be well!

By: Joe Mosty

Joe Mosty — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:59:17 +0000

Would someone be so kind as to let me know what the “shelf life” of Ubquinol is?

I have recently isolated my diarrea issues to my Ubiquinol supplementation of some years. I am disappointed to have to discontinue it until I learn a little.

any other advice or links would also be appreciated.

Thanks!

By: jaytothakay

jaytothakay — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:16:34 +0000

does astaxanthine decrease libido? why is it that a lot of claims get spread around without pure scientific research? What i need are scientific based facts.

By: JP

JP — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:25:30 +0000

Thank you, Melissa.

First and foremost, I’m very sorry to hear about your brother and your family’s struggle with bipolar disorder. I wish it were not so.

Here’s a brief summary of my current thoughts about krill oil.

The early research, using Neptune Krill Oil, delivered excellent results. The more recent trials, mostly using Aker’s Superba krill oil, have been less impressive, IMO. The other main player in the krill oil arena, Enzymotec, has yet to deliver much evidence to support its krill oil products.

The bottom line re: krill oil, is that I believe it has merits. But, it requires additional research to clarify precisely what it can and cannot do for the average user.

I rarely recommend cod liver oil to my clients. Concentrated, purified fish oil is a better way to go, IMO. Adding some Vitamin D3 to the mix is often warranted as well – based on blood test results. Also, many fish oil supplements don’t taste bad! Seriously! Many manufacturers add natural flavors such as lemon oil to mask the fishy taste. Some Nordic Naturals’ fish oil soft gels are flavored in this manner.

To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t any peer-reviewed, published data on krill oil with regard to anxiety, bipolar disorder or depression. Is it possible that it helps with these conditions? I think so. But, my assumption is based on a significant amount of data using fish oil. Therefore, until direct evidence verifies this assumption, I would personally stick with fish oil.

Here are a few recent columns of mine that may be of interest:

http://www.healthyfellow.com/802/complementary-bipolar-disorder-care/

http://www.healthyfellow.com/919/depression-inflammation-link/

Be well!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:23:47 +0000

Hi JP -what a fantastic resource – your hard work and objectivity is so rare and greatly appreciated!

I just wanted to say what I think the current summary of the Krill Oil subject appears to be from what I have gathered here, and if I am wrong on any point, I’d love to be corrected.

Basically, Krill Oil started out as being the next best thing to liquid gold. “Hats off, gentlemen – a genius!” But over the past few years, the studies showing the superiority of Krill Oil to Fish Oil are singing a different tune. “Hats back on, gentlemen. A bit o’ hype.”

Is that true? I have a sad history of depression in my family – mom severely bipolar, brother killed himself last summer, and I am living on SSDI for anxiety and depression/bipolar disorder. I came here looking for the amount of EPA/DHA (NOT the overall mg per capsule) of Krill Oil that have been tested to help with depression/bipolar/anxiety as compared to fish oil benefits. But it sounds like perhaps I should stick with my disgusting Cod Liver Oil? I use Nordic Naturals, which is very high quality and provides high amounts of EPA/DHA in the correct ratios for mental health issues, but the OILY consistency . . . GAG! It really is the best I have tried, and only slightly smells fishy, but holy guacamole!

Anyway, any comments of yours would be appreciated.

Melissa in Portland, Oregon, USA

By: Erik

Erik — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:22:35 +0000

Pixe,
Is it true that you have financial gain from a Krill Oil manufacturer to research?
Merry Xmas to all