A growing library of the omega-3 research we're following — summarized and categorized so you can find what matters to you.
In diabetic rats, fish oil, krill oil, and combined EPA+DHA (from algae or ethyl esters) similarly improved nerve and blood vessel function, while DHA alone was nearly as effective and EPA alone was the weakest.
In mice, fish oil and krill oil both raised omega-3 levels but altered different liver and brain fat classes linked to inflammation pathways.
In mice on a high-fat diet, long-term krill oil supplementation raised anti-inflammatory omega-3 compounds and reduced inflammation markers in fat tissue and liver.
In rats fed a high-fat diet, krill oil supplementation was linked to improved liver cell energy metabolism, including better fat-burning and mitochondrial function.
In mice on a high-fat diet, krill oil showed somewhat stronger effects than other omega-3 forms on liver fat, enzymes, and LDL cholesterol, linked to changes in the CB1/adiponectin/ceramide pathway.
Preclinical research suggests phospholipid-bound omega-3 may reduce liver fat more than triglyceride-bound omega-3, but human trial evidence is still lacking.
Lipase-treated krill oil, but not fish oil, significantly increased brain DHA and EPA levels in mice.
In rats on a high-fat diet, krill oil and fish oil both modestly affected lipid levels but showed limited and differing effects on obesity-related markers and fat-metabolism genes.
Older adults with higher habitual oily fish intake had fewer abnormal small blood vessels and greater capillary density.