Krill Oil May Help Support Liver Cell Energy Production in Animals Fed a High-Fat Diet

This laboratory study looked at how krill oil affects liver cell energy production (mitochondrial function) in rats fed a high-fat diet. Researchers divided rats into three groups: a normal diet, a high-fat diet, and a high-fat diet supplemented with krill oil, over four weeks.

Rats on the high-fat diet alone showed signs of disrupted liver cell energy metabolism, consistent with prior research linking high-fat diets to fatty liver, elevated blood sugar, and insulin resistance. In contrast, the group given krill oil alongside the high-fat diet showed improvements in several mitochondrial processes, including fat-burning pathways, the Krebs cycle, and the activity of the respiratory chain complexes that generate cellular energy.

The researchers also observed changes in proteins involved in mitochondrial ‘uncoupling,’ a process related to how efficiently cells burn fat for heat versus storing it. Overall, the findings suggest krill oil supplementation helped offset some of the negative effects of the high-fat diet on liver cell energy metabolism in this animal model.