Some videos from YouTube about Krill and Krill Oil
Antartic Krill - Red Krill Oil
Everything about Krill and Krill Oil. The Benefits, What is Krill and everything you want to know about Krill and Krill Oil!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
What is Krill Oil - Definition?
Krill Oil
What is Krill Oil – Definition
Krill are small, shrimp-like crustaceans
that live in the oceans. They are consumed by fish, penguins, whales and seals.
Krill oil is a very good source of omega-3 containing phospholipids and the
antioxidant, astaxanthin.
Description
The omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are important nutrients involved in
brain development and are required to sustain good health. Evidence suggests
that nutritional supplements containing omega 3 fatty acids help to:
·
Lower triglycerides
·
Slow the progression of
atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
·
Lower blood pressure slightly
and
·
Reduce the risk of death, heart
attack, dangerous abnormal heart rhythms, and strokes in people with known
heart disease.
KRILL OIL vs FISH OIL
Both fish and krill oil are rich in omega-3
essential fatty acids. Krill oil also reportedly contains choline and the
antioxidant astaxanthin. Manufacturers of krill oil assert that krill oil has a
higher absorption rate than fish oil so fewer capsules are required to achieve
the same result.
Krill oil is more expensive than fish oil
due to the large number of krill that need to be caught and guidelines that
ensure that krill is harvested in an environmentally sustainable manner. There
is a large body of scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of fish
oil and similar studies are underway for fish oil. Both krill and fish oil
deliver good levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
Friday, December 28, 2012
What Are Krill?
Krill are small shrimp
like crustaceans that live in the ocean with large black eyes and are usually
around only 2 inches (5 centimetres) on average in length. The digestive system
of many species of krill is transparent and visible to the human eye. They can
survive up to 200 days without food, and typically, they can live between 5 and
10 years. Krill are one of the most abundant and successful animal species on
earth. Scientists estimate that the total weight of all the Antarctic krill is
more than the total weight of all humans on Earth! Which is why although tiny
creatures they are, they represent a giant role in our global marine food chain
and ecosystem. These small, shrimp-like crustaceans are essentially the fuel
that runs the engine of the Earth’s marine ecosystems.
Krill feed on algae, phytoplankton,
microscopic, single-celled plants that drift near the ocean’s surface and live
off carbon dioxide and the sun’s rays where some krill have even been observed
eating other krill. They in turn are the primary diets of literally hundreds of
different animals and species from fish, birds, squids and whales.
Without the existence
of krill, most of the life forms in the Antarctic would disappear.
There are 85 known
species of Krill. Euphausia superba are the most common species of krill and
are found swimming in the Antarctic. Krills are broken down into two families:
Euphausiidae and Bentheuphausia ampblyops.
Euphausiidae are found
swimming closer to the surface of the ocean (which make them
easier for biologist to study) while the lesser known
primitive Bentheuphausia ampblyops are found living in deeper waters
(below 3,000 feet).
Female krill can
lay thousands of eggs seasonally and again depending on species
will either carry her eggs (which can take up to 1/3 her body
mass) or drop them at which they sink leaving the baby krill to swim up on
its own once it hatches.
Today, between 200,000
to 400,000 tons of Krill are caught annually. Krill are not common food for
many people although in Japan and Russia, krill is used for human consumption
and is known as okiami (オキアミ) in Japan. Krill has also been harvested as
a source of nutritional food for both humans and domestic animals, and sold as
krill oil, which contains high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids which some says
are better than fish oil.
Alarmingly, like many
other sea dwelling creatures, the number of Krill is declining. There are
recent studies (November 2004) that show their numbers may have dropped by
80percent since the 1970s. Scientists believe that the primary reason for this
is likely to be caused by ice cover loss caused by global warming. This ice
loss removes a primary source of food for krill - ice-algae and phytoplankton. Also,
the thinning of our ozone layer increases the amount of ultraviolent light that
reaches the Antarctic and serves as another threat to the Krill’s
survival.
Some believe that the
decline in Krill is one of the reasons many Antarctic animals such as penguins
and Baleen whales are also declining in number.
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