by Dr. Bill Rawls
Posted 7/22/22

There’s little doubt that omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart and overall health, but knowing which one to take to get the maximum benefits can be utterly confusing. Listen as Dr. Rawls explains whether fish or krill oil is the better option to support heart health. Plus, learn more about ways to protect your heart here.

Video Transcript

Question: Is fish or krill oil better for your heart health?

Tim Yarborough: Next question from George in Hickory, North Carolina, wondering, which is better for your heart health, fish oil or krill oil?

Dr. Rawls: I like the krill better. I mean, I think all of your omega-3’s are going to be really good, you know. And we get that information from the Japanese and Native Inuit populations. So the Japanese eat more efficient seafood than anybody on earth. They have the highest concentrations of blood, omega-3 levels, and they also have the lowest incidence of cardiovascular disease in the world.

So omega-3’s, in general, are doing a lot of great things for the heart by protecting our cells by making blood more fluid, just thinning it out so it flows easier. So all of these dynamics are really important. I like krill better because it’s a phospholipid, which is the form that our cells normally use these fatty acids. And it’s a natural, most usable form in the body, over a triglyceride in fish that’s bulkier and harder for us to absorb.

So I like the krill for that. I like the krill because it has the astaxanthin, which is a really, really potent antioxidant. And I also like krill because it’s much more sustainable than anything else, even sardines and anchovies, which are the most sustainable source of fish.

But the research that I’ve done on krill suggests that, at maximum production, when we’re maxed out on how much krill the world needs, then we’re going to erode into only about 1% of the Antarctic krill supply, which means that it’s not going to affect the ecosystem in any significant way. So there are a lot of reasons to like krill as a choice. The average for most people is like two to three capsules a day. Because of my heart history and age, I typically take four to six capsules a day.

Dr. Rawls is a physician who overcame Lyme disease through natural herbal therapy. You can learn more about Lyme disease in Dr. Rawls’ new best selling book, Unlocking Lyme.
You can also learn about Dr. Rawls’ personal journey in overcoming Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in his popular blog post, My Chronic Lyme Journey.