Krill oil supports choline and omega-3 levels to promote recovery in athletes, says recent study

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A recent study¹ found that supplementation with krill oil (Neptune krill oil supplied by Aker BioMarine) may be beneficial for subjects going through high intensity training. In the study, 35 healthy power training athletes received 2.5 grams per day of krill oil (550 mg EPA/DHA and 150 mg choline) or olive oil (placebo) for 12 weeks. The athlete’s omega-3 index, plasma choline levels, and total antioxidant capacity were measure before and after their regular exercise sessions.

Results showed that subjects in the krill oil group saw a significant increase in omega-3 index from 4.82 to 6.77% as well as a reduction in the ARA/EPA ratio (from 50.72 to 13.61%). The krill group also saw significantly higher recovery of choline concentrations compared to the placebo group from the end of the first to the beginning of the second exercise test, as well as a 8% decrease in total antioxidant capacity post-exercise versus 21% in the placebo group.

“Both choline and omega-3 are important to both performance and recovery, and we see that krill oil can be an effective means to ensure that the athletes receive adequate amounts to support their training and high intensity exercise regimens,” said Yunpeng Ding, director R&D for Aker BioMarine, and one of the study’s authors, in a press release.

Reference

1. Drobnic F et al. “Krill-oil-dependent increases in HS-Omega-3 Index, plasma choline and antioxidant capacity in well-conditioned power training athletes.” Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 12 (2021): 4237, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124237