Krill oil reduces elevated lipid and glucose levels, which is significant for diabetics. Diabetes is one of those canary-in-a-coal-mine conditions – if you’ve got diabetes chances are you are overweight, and if you’re overweight chances are you’re cruising for a coronary.
To this extent, Russian researchers discovered that diabetics who ate krill meat had reduced plaque buildup in arteries, which means the blood flowing through their pipes could flow less hindered by plaque deposits that can cause heart attacks, in particular the kind of heart attacks that kill you on the spot when the plaque deposits dislodge. The researchers also saw a similar effect in those who ate squid liver fat. Na zdorovie!1
People with diabetes produce insulin that is either not enough to deal with the sugar coursing through their veins, or their insulin receptors have become saturated – this is what is called being insulin resistant. In response to levels of sugar in the blood, insulin receptors become activated to produce insulin, which break down the sugar. Researchers believe krill might affect the insulin receptors located in cell walls. Exactly how krill does this remains unknown, but there’s no disagreement with the idea that krill does have this effect.
Hundreds of studies show omega-3s lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both diabetics and healthy people.2,3,4,5,6 But can krill match the omega-3s from fish oils? Clearly there are many magnitudes of additional research done on the EPA and DHA from fish oil compared to krill, due to the fact that krill oil is rather new on the supplement scene. In fact, there’s been only one krill study in humans that show an effect with this condition. But the “blackboard” scientists were clearly on to something, because it makes sense that krill’s EPA and DHA content make it a viable candidate to study on health conditions where fish oil also benefits.
In this one krill study, between 1 and 3 grams per day of krill oil was given to diabetics. The difference in dosage was related to the body weight of the diabetics – the heavier the person, the higher the dose. Krill was found to be more effective for reducing glucose and all blood-lipid parameters like cholesterol and triglycerides compared to both fish oil and placebo. Indeed, krill oil was found to be significantly more effective than even fish oil at reducing elevated lipid and glucose levels.7
Disclaimer:The information provided in this section is a public service of WellWise.org, and should not in any way substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended to constitute personal medical advice.
References
Shagaeva MM, et al. Effect of squid liver fat and krill meat on blood serum atherogenicity in patients with type I diabetes mellitus. Probl Endokrinol (Mosk). 1993 Jul-Aug;39(4):21-3.
Essential fatty acids are needed for proper insulin function, and can both prevent and reverse insulin resistance without altering the glycemic response.
Submitted by Guest User on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 23:00.
In the news today: Is obesity contagious? A research study published today in Pediatrics concludes that there's a possible link between the common cold adenovirus 36 and childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that affects 17 percent of American children and teenagers.
The researchers found that children who had been exposed to the common cold virus were more likely to be obese than children who were never infected. The study tested 67 obese and 57 normal-weight children, with 15 obese children having antibodies to the virus, compared to 4 normal-weight children.
I think this is a lousy study. Some basic questions are unanswered:
1. Were the obese kids obese before or after they were exposed to the common cold. If they were already obese when they got the cold, then that would undermine the conclusion that the cold virus somehow caused obesity.
2. Does the obesity cause (susceptibility to) the cold, or does the cold virus make you fat? I would argue that there's more ground that obese people are more susceptible to viruses because their immune system is compromised.
3. Why is obesity growing at an alarming rate, and cold epidemics are not?
4. If obese children and adults consume large quantities of bad fats and sugars, then there might be a correlation with skinny people consuming healthy fats like omega 3 or krill oil, and them having a good immune system. It would have made more sense to test these children for inflammation markers. And I predict that there's an even higher correlation between obesity and inflammation, then there's potentially between obesity and the common cold.
5. Yes, the common cold can increase inflammation markers. But what came first?
6. Had they asked the children how often they ate at McDonalds, these researchers would have found a high correlation between McDonalds Happy Meal consumption and the chance that you have had the cold. So do sugar and fat-rich Happy Meals cause obese people to be susceptible to the common cold?
Comments
#1 Does the common cold virus cause obesity??????
In the news today: Is obesity contagious? A research study published today in Pediatrics concludes that there's a possible link between the common cold adenovirus 36 and childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that affects 17 percent of American children and teenagers.
The researchers found that children who had been exposed to the common cold virus were more likely to be obese than children who were never infected. The study tested 67 obese and 57 normal-weight children, with 15 obese children having antibodies to the virus, compared to 4 normal-weight children.
I think this is a lousy study. Some basic questions are unanswered:
1. Were the obese kids obese before or after they were exposed to the common cold. If they were already obese when they got the cold, then that would undermine the conclusion that the cold virus somehow caused obesity.
2. Does the obesity cause (susceptibility to) the cold, or does the cold virus make you fat? I would argue that there's more ground that obese people are more susceptible to viruses because their immune system is compromised.
3. Why is obesity growing at an alarming rate, and cold epidemics are not?
4. If obese children and adults consume large quantities of bad fats and sugars, then there might be a correlation with skinny people consuming healthy fats like omega 3 or krill oil, and them having a good immune system. It would have made more sense to test these children for inflammation markers. And I predict that there's an even higher correlation between obesity and inflammation, then there's potentially between obesity and the common cold.
5. Yes, the common cold can increase inflammation markers. But what came first?
6. Had they asked the children how often they ate at McDonalds, these researchers would have found a high correlation between McDonalds Happy Meal consumption and the chance that you have had the cold. So do sugar and fat-rich Happy Meals cause obese people to be susceptible to the common cold?
In my opinion: YES THEY DO.
Joe53