Krill oil may benefit brain health, ease depression symptoms

Lab rats who received daily krill oil supplements (Superba krill oil, Aker) performed better in cogn…

Lab rats who received daily krill oil supplements (Superba krill oil, Aker) performed better in cognitive tests, compared to control animals, according to findings published in Lipids in Health and Disease.

In addition, krill oil matched the anti-depressive substance Imipramine for preventing resignation/depression during the experiments, according to results of the Unavoidable Aversive Light Stimulus test (UALST), which measures the state of depression in lab animals.

"There is clearly potential for krill oil to aid in the management of depressive disorders, while avoiding sedative effects,” said Lena Burri, PhD, director of scientific writing at Aker BioMarine and coordinator of this study.

“The special combination of omega-3 fatty acids in phospholipid form in krill oil might give it a further advantage over other omega-3 sources."

The study was a collaboration between researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, Aker BioMarine, and ETAP, a preclinical research center in France. Funding was provided by Aker and the Norwegian Research Council.

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