**This article originally published in Prime Magazine Now 2012**
By Jonathan Evans
Herbal Information Specialist/Business Representative for the Herbarium
This month, we look at some new products that are garnering a lot of attention in the press.
Krill oil has been touted as the hot new way to get your Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) – and there was a time when I felt "whatever way you get your EFA's is fine" – but that has changed recently.
Krill is a tiny crustacean that is very low on the food chain. It has been harvested and used as a food product for many years, notably by the Russians and the Japanese. Recently, krill harvesting has also become a small but growing trend for people looking to get a "cleaner" source of omega 3s.
Research shows krill contains less omega 3 than fish body oil, but contains a phospholipid which allows for better absorption.
At this point I have to wonder if all this work is really worth it. Krill oil is expensive, as the creatures are very tiny and have to be specially processed to remove high amounts of fluoride, which can be toxic. Economically it seems a lot of expense for a relatively small benefit. Fish oil has been working just fine for a long time. Do we really need to over harvest the lowest levels of the food chain for all this?
As I was pondering this, my daughter voiced her concern about the long-term effects of harvesting creatures at the bottom of the world's food chain, and told me she was uncomfortable with promoting the sale of krill oil.
The more I thought about it, the more I was uncomfortable with it, too. Haven't we had enough examples of over harvesting of a species? Think of the buffalo. No one in 1880 would have believed the massive heard of buffalo could be driven to near-extinction.
In doing some research on krill, I found that it is very sensitive to climate change, pollution, and algae blooms. I am not comfortable with messing with the bottom of the food chain. If we screw that up, the ripple effect up the line could be horrendous.
The Herbarium will stock some krill oil for people who have to have it for medical reasons, but I am not a promoter of the product, and hope to find a better alternative. The human race just cannot afford to mess with our food chain and Mother Nature any more than we already have.
– Jonathan
Herbal Information Specialist/Business Representative for the Herbarium
This month, we look at some new products that are garnering a lot of attention in the press.
Krill oil has been touted as the hot new way to get your Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) – and there was a time when I felt "whatever way you get your EFA's is fine" – but that has changed recently.
Krill is a tiny crustacean that is very low on the food chain. It has been harvested and used as a food product for many years, notably by the Russians and the Japanese. Recently, krill harvesting has also become a small but growing trend for people looking to get a "cleaner" source of omega 3s.
Research shows krill contains less omega 3 than fish body oil, but contains a phospholipid which allows for better absorption.
At this point I have to wonder if all this work is really worth it. Krill oil is expensive, as the creatures are very tiny and have to be specially processed to remove high amounts of fluoride, which can be toxic. Economically it seems a lot of expense for a relatively small benefit. Fish oil has been working just fine for a long time. Do we really need to over harvest the lowest levels of the food chain for all this?
As I was pondering this, my daughter voiced her concern about the long-term effects of harvesting creatures at the bottom of the world's food chain, and told me she was uncomfortable with promoting the sale of krill oil.
The more I thought about it, the more I was uncomfortable with it, too. Haven't we had enough examples of over harvesting of a species? Think of the buffalo. No one in 1880 would have believed the massive heard of buffalo could be driven to near-extinction.
In doing some research on krill, I found that it is very sensitive to climate change, pollution, and algae blooms. I am not comfortable with messing with the bottom of the food chain. If we screw that up, the ripple effect up the line could be horrendous.
The Herbarium will stock some krill oil for people who have to have it for medical reasons, but I am not a promoter of the product, and hope to find a better alternative. The human race just cannot afford to mess with our food chain and Mother Nature any more than we already have.
– Jonathan
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