Krill extract: new anti-aging remedy?

Supplements made from krill, a collection of tiny marine crustaceans, could help prevent aging. In mice, in fact, powder from these Antarctic organisms appears to counteract the weight and energy loss that comes with advancing age. An action due to the regulation of important metabolic processes. The discovery, published in the Journal Of Functional Foods , was made by a group of researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway.  

The properties of krill

Krill is a collection of tiny marine invertebrates belonging to zooplankton, and is at the base of the food chain. It is rich in vitamins E and A and Omega-3, which are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The Omega-3s found in krill are mainly EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). According to recent studies, krill oil has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease and hypertension and also reduces inflammation and joint pain. Precisely because of these characteristics, the use of krill oil-based dietary supplements has been gaining popularity in recent years, which, compared with fish oil supplements, are characterized by having Omega-3s bound to phospholipids and not triglycerides.

Krill slows the catabolism of amino acids, fats and sugars 

In this study, researchers evaluated the effects on the metabolism of laboratory mice, of Antarctic Krill(Euphasia superba) powder. A compound consisting of 40 percent protein, and 60 percent lipids of which 34 percent Omega-3. During the study, animals were divided into two groups of 10. One group was fed a diet low in fat and supplemented with Krill powder (at 3%), and the other a control diet, still low in lipids. After 3 months of treatment, analysis on liver tissue showed that the Krill powder-supplemented diet had modulated, compared with the control diet, the expression of genes involved in a large number of metabolic processes. In particular, there was underregulation of lipid oxidation, glucose metabolism, and amino acid catabolism. Instead, the electron transport chain was stimulated, causing an increase in energy production by mitochondria.

Krill powder slows down aging 

According to researchers, krill powder could be effective in slowing aging, both by stimulating energy production and by slowing the catabolism of fats, sugars and amino acids in a way that preserves body weight. In particular, a diet with krill powder supplements, unlike one with krill oil, appears to act on many metabolic processes involving protein and amino acid breakdown. This result suggests the need for further research, to understand whether supplements based on protein and fatty acids may be more effective than those composed of Omega-3s alone.

Source: Bjørndal, B., Berge, K., Barger, J. L., Berge, R. K., and Burri, L. (2013) "A krill powder-diet reduces fatty acid and amino acid catabolism while increasing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, a study of the hepatic transcriptome in mice." J Funct Foods, 6 pp 623-630