Dr. Mercola Antarctic Krill Oil

Krill oil is an extract from Antarctic krill that is rich in cell membrane building blocks: highly unsaturated phospholipids co-functionalized with Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA). Beneficial for both men and women. Also supports relief of normal PMS symptoms.

Krill are small shrimp or prawn-like creatures that feed the world's most mammoth animals -- the great whales. Toothless great whales gulp down huge quantities of krill to provide the energy they need to fuel their massive bulk. A blue whale eats up to 8,000 pounds of krill each day during feeding season. These highly intelligent great whales aren't the only animals that depend on krill for their nutritional needs. So do seals, penguins, sea birds, squid and fish.

The hardy krill harvested from harsh Antarctic waters -- the ones that comprise Dr. Mercola Krill Oil -- are so important they are considered a "keystone species", an organism upon which many Antarctic predators depend. These semi-translucent crustaceans congregate in dense masses or swarms that can turn the ocean's surface pink or red.

Together with plankton, krill make up the largest biomass on earth, one of the most easily renewable food resources available, an excellent nutritional source from an environmental perspective.

Krill aren't a new source of nutrition. They've been harvested as a food source for both humans and domesticated animals since the 1800s. Possibly even earlier in Japan where they're considered a delicacy.

Why EFA Balance is  Critical to Your Health

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) include both omega-3 fats (high in the vital compounds EPA and DHA) and omega-6 fats. EFAs cannot be manufactured in your body but are beneficial to normal health and metabolism. Therefore, EFAs must be obtained through your diet.
Although some omega-6 fats are good for your health, the balance of omega-6s to omega-3s is crucial. Unfortunately, most people consume an overabundance of omega-6 fats.

Your ancestors embraced a diet with a healthy balance of approximately equal omega-6 and omega-3 fats. But the current Western diet is far too high in omega-6 fats. The average omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is now closer to 20:1, and in some cases even 50:1. This can keep you from optimal health. Due to this imbalanced ratio, and because you could likely benefit from more omega-3 fats, Dr. Mercola recommends adding Krill Oil to your health arsenal.

Besides DHA and EPA, this unique marine oil has another "secret weapon". Unlike fish oils, pure krill oil carries omega-3s in the form of phospholipids -- liposomes or little packages that deliver the fatty acids directly to your body's cells.

Scientific evidence to date has shown that the safest and most effective carriers of EPA and DHA are these phospholipids. Unfortunately, standard fish oils (and inferior krill oil brands) lack this phospholipid complex. Instead they contain omega-3 fatty acids in the less-beneficial form of free triglycerides.

Why are phospholipids important? They are the building blocks for your cell membranes, regulating cellular transport by functioning as 'gate-keepers.' In this role, they protect cell membranes from free radical attack.

This unique relationship between the phospholipids and omega-3 fatty acids greatly facilitates the passage of the fatty acid molecules through your intestinal wall. The benefits:

• Makes the omega-3 fats in Dr. Mercola Krill Oil significantly more bioavailable than those in fish oil by allowing EPA and DHA to directly enter your cells.
• Improves your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.

The most predominant phospholipid in pure krill oil is phosphatidyl choline, which is partially composed of choline. Numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of choline in brain development, learning and memory. In fact, choline is particularly important for fetal and infant brain development in pregnant and nursing women. Choline is the precursor for the vital neurotransmitter acetylcholine (which sends nerve signals to the brain) and for trimethylglycine, a recognized liver protector.

Dr. Mercola Krill Oil offers clear advantages to fish oil in a number of important ways.

You get all the same multi-system health benefits of omega-3-rich fish oil, including crucial EPA and DHA, plus:

• Your brain is a huge "consumer" of DHA: Antarctic Pure Krill Oil is made from krill with health-promoting DHA and choline, which are absolutely essential not only for adults, but also for normal fetal and infant brain development!
• Much better absorption than fish oil: This means you can take 1/5 the dose -- two small capsules rather than 10 large ones. The phospholipid binding increases the bioavailability of the omega-3s, improves the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio and supports healthy cell membrane functioning.
• Superb Antioxidant Protection: Unique antioxidants -- including astaxanthin and a novel marine flavonoid -- may protect you from damaging free radicals.
• Pollution-Free: Krill are at the bottom of the food chain and collected far from pollution in the pristine seas surrounding Antarctica. So you don't have to worry about unsafe accumulations of mercury, PCBs, heavy metals or other toxins that low-quality fish oil products may contain.
• Ongoing Supply: Krill are a highly renewable source. They are the largest biomass in the ocean and there is simply no risk of causing them to perish from over-harvesting.
• Stability: Antarctic Pure Krill Oil is more stable and more resistant to rancidity than conventional fish oils. This means it will last longer. It will last for TWO years at room temperature. (Please do not refrigerate.)
• No fishy aftertaste, reflux or other side effects: Although fish oil consumption commonly leads to side effects of fishy aftertaste, reflux or belching of fish flavors, this has not occurred with Antarctic Pure Krill Oil. No adverse effects have been noted even at high dosages.
• Renewable Food Source: Krill represent a renewable, sustainable and environmentally positive nutrition source.