Krill oil supplementation increases plasma concentrations of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in overweight and obese men and women.

Abstract Antarctic krill, also known as Euphausia superba , is a marine crustacean rich in both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We tested the hypothesis that krill oil would increase plasma concentrations of EPA and DHA without adversely affecting indicators of safety, tolerability, or selected metabolic parameters. In this randomized, double-blind parallel arm trial, overweight and obese men and women (N = 76) were randomly assigned to receive double-blind capsules containing 2 g/d of krill oil, menhaden oil, or control (olive) oil for 4 weeks. Results showed that plasma EPA and DHA concentrations increased significantly more ( P μ mol/L, respectively) and menhaden oil (131.8 ± 28.0 and 149.9 ± 30.4 μ mol/L, respectively) groups than in the control group (2.9 ± 13.8 and −1.1 ± 32.4 μ mol/L, respectively). Systolic blood pressure declined significantly more ( P P