Red Krill Oil Active Joints

Krill oil answers one question well: whether a marine omega-3 with joint trials behind it suits you. So most of the questions our naturopaths ask in store, every week, are about shellfish and what else you're already taking.

A good fit if

• Mild knee aches or stiffness are what brought you here, and you'll give it several months
• Fish oil capsules repeat on you and the aftertaste has put you off
• You want the most omega-3 your blood will take up per gram of oil
• You eat little or no oily fish, and joints rather than heart are your reason for buying
• A smaller capsule is the difference between taking it every day and giving up

Check with us first if

• You take a blood thinner or antiplatelet medicine. Across 90 trials, omega-3 supplements came with a small but measurable increase in reported bleeding.
• You have surgery or a dental procedure coming up. Tell your surgeon or dentist what you're taking.
• You have heart disease or heart risk factors and are going above 2 g a day of EPA and DHA. A higher risk of atrial fibrillation has been measured at those doses.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. Australia's permitted ingredients list has no pregnancy warning for krill oil, but there's no krill-specific safety evidence either, and no rule isn't the same as proven safe.
• You're buying it for a child. There's no krill trial in children behind this page, and children's Adequate Intakes are much smaller.
• You already take a fish, algal or cod liver oil. Add up the EPA and DHA across all of them rather than doubling up without knowing.
• A doctor has asked you to take a set amount of EPA or DHA. Each krill capsule contains fairly little, so check the numbers before you switch.
• You take any prescription medicine at all. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths first.

• Krill oil capsules, commonly 500 mg to 2,000 mg of oil. Best known for: The standard format, and the one the joint trials used at 4 g a day. Absorption: At the same 1.1 g omega-3 dose over 12 weeks, krill raised blood EPA and DHA about 1.5-fold more than fish oil. Typical use: Read the EPA and DHA amounts rather than the oil weight, then work out how many capsules give you the amount you want. Those strengths come from Australian labels, not from a trial.
• Krill oil sold on its astaxanthin content. Best known for: The red pigment that comes with the oil, often printed on the front of the pack. Absorption: Not measured separately. The astaxanthin comes inside the same oil. Typical use: The krill trial that improved knee pain gave 0.45 g of astaxanthin a day alongside the omega-3. We don't claim anything for the pigment on its own, because the evidence tested the whole oil.
• Krill oil combined with hyaluronic acid or other joint ingredients. Best known for: Joint formulas built around krill rather than krill on its own. Absorption: Not reported for the combination. Typical use: One 12-week trial of a krill, astaxanthin and hyaluronic acid complex improved pain and WOMAC scores compared with placebo. That result belongs to that formula, not to krill in general.
• Fish oil, standard or concentrated. Best known for: The most widely used source of EPA and DHA, with the biggest body of trial evidence behind it. Absorption: The standard every other form is measured against. A re-esterified concentrate reached 124 per cent of it. Typical use: The simpler choice for a general omega-3 dose, and the only sensible option if a doctor has asked for a set amount of EPA or DHA. Neither has a direct joint trial of its own.
• Green-lipped mussel. Best known for: The other marine oil with direct joint trials behind it, dosed in milligrams. Absorption: Not comparable. It's sold on its overall fat profile rather than on EPA and DHA amounts. Typical use: An option if krill suits you in principle but you'd prefer a smaller daily amount. It's a mollusc, so the same allergy question applies.
• Algal oil. Best known for: The only vegan EPA and DHA, grown from microalgae rather than caught. Absorption: There's no study specific to schizochytrium, the algae it's made from, behind this page. Typical use: The simple answer if you're allergic to shellfish or fish, or vegan. Most algal products are mostly DHA.

Reference values. There's no Nutrient Reference Value for krill oil itself. The NHMRC sets an Adequate Intake for the long-chain omega-3s in it (EPA, DPA and DHA combined) of 160 mg a day for men and 90 mg for women, rising to 110–115 mg in pregnancy and 140–145 mg while breastfeeding. An Adequate Intake is the amount that keeps a population clear of a shortfall, not a dose tested on joints.

Typical supplemental range. Both krill trials behind this page used 4 g of oil a day. In the six-month knee study, that came to 0.60 g of EPA, 0.28 g of DHA and 0.45 g of astaxanthin. In a 12-week pilot in older adults, it came to 1,288 mg of EPA and DHA combined. Australian krill capsules contain about 500 mg to 2,000 mg of oil, so the trial amount is several capsules a day rather than one. That range comes from what we see on our own shelves, not a published source. Follow the directions on the product you buy.

Upper level. None has been set. Australia's permitted ingredients list (Schedule 1) has no maximum recommended daily dose for krill oil (Euphausia superba oil, item 2158), and the Nutrient Reference Values have no upper level for long-chain omega-3s. The caps in this family apply to concentrated fish oil ethyl esters and to cod liver oil, and you'll find them on those pages.

Worth knowing. Take it with food. The knee trial ran for six months, so this isn't something to judge in a fortnight. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Oily fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring: the food route to the same two fats, EPA and DHA
• Krill: not sold as food here; it reaches you as an oil
• Squid and shellfish: other marine sources of long-chain omega-3
• Microalgae: where the fish get their omega-3 in the first place
• Walnuts, flaxseed and chia: plant omega-3 as ALA: a different fat, not EPA or DHA
• Per-serve figures: none are quoted: the reference set behind this page holds no verified table

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• You have a crustacean or shellfish allergy. Krill is a crustacean, and no allergen warning is required for item 2158.
• You take blood thinners or antiplatelet medicines. A small increase in reported bleeding was seen across 90 randomised trials.
• You have surgery or dental work planned. Tell your practitioner what you're taking.
• You have diagnosed heart disease and take more than 2 g a day of EPA and DHA. A higher risk of atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) has been measured at those doses.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. There's no Schedule 1 warning for krill oil, but we haven't found krill-specific safety evidence either.
• Children. We have no krill trial in children to go on.
• You already take another omega-3. Add up the EPA and DHA across everything you take.
• You notice signs of an allergic reaction, unusual bleeding or an irregular heartbeat. Stop and get medical advice.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.