Ultimate Guide to Nootropics | Fish Oil

Fish Oil and Krill Oil Supplements as Nootropics

Whether you’re just starting to dip your toes into nootropics, or have already taken the full plunge, fish oil is going to provide a very solid base to build a nootropics stack upon. A significant portion of our brain is composed of fatty acids. In particular omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA). The most abundant ω-3 PUFAs in the brain are docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and arachidonic acid (AA). All play very diverse neurological roles. Fortunately, fish oil, rich in DHA and EPA, serves as a great substance to support cognitive function. Apart from its neurological benefits, fish oil also produces a host of positive effects. It affects various biological systems throughout the body.

These effects include but are not limited to:

Krill oil and fish oil supplements may support:

– a healthy metabolic rate

– cognitive function

– cardiovascular health

– a positive emotional outlook

– promote memory and learning

While this is a very impressive list of effects, keep in mind that fish oil mainly serves a supportive role. It provides a direct stand-alone enhancement. With that said, fish oil fantastically supports the healthy functioning of our bodies and brains.

Why Take A Fish Oil Supplement Instead of Just Eating Fish?

There is one important question that we need to answer before diving into this article. Why supplement fish oil when I can just eat fish? There are a couple of answers to this question, with the most obvious answer being convenience and cost. It is much easier, cost-effective, and calorie-friendly to simply swallow a purified fish oil capsule. This is rather than having to prepare and eat fish. For example, one capsule of triple strength fish oil clocks in at 9 calories, 750 mg of ω-3 PUFAs, and 0.25 USD. Of this 750 mg, 325 mg is EPA, 325 mg is DHA, and the remaining 100 mg comprises unspecified ω-3 PUFAs. In terms of DHA this is equivalent to about 140 grams of light canned tuna (162 calories) and in terms of EPA, a whopping 690 grams of light canned tuna (800 calories).

In terms of pricing, assuming an average cost of 0.25 USD per ounce of light canned tuna, the DHA equivalent would cost 1.23 USD. The EPA equivalent would cost 6.08 USD. However, the real cost of regularly eating canned light tuna extends much further than its financial and caloric cost. Since tuna is a large predatory fish, it tends to bioaccumulate various compounds. The most concerning of these is methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin. According to ‘Got Mercury?’, our canned light tuna EPA equivalent dose would put us well above the daily allowable methylmercury intake. This is set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

DHA and EPA in Fish Oil and Krill Oil Supplemenets

Now that we have the basics out of the way, lets start to add in some more variables. DHA and EPA in fish oil are present in a few different forms. In nature, most DHA and EPA bind in triacylglycerides (TAG). In isolated fish oil capsules, however, most EPA and DHA bind in ethyl esters (EE) or re-esterified TAG (rTAG). Furthermore, phospholipids (PL) can also bind DHA and EPA.

It appears that PL fish oil, which is generally extracted from krill, is significantly more bioavailable. This is compared to TAG, rTAG, and EE fish oil. In addition to PL fish oil having greater bioavailability, the phospholipids in PL fish oil produce unique effects. These effects are not seen with TAG, rTAG, and EE fish oils. We’ll get into that a little further into the article.

Potential Benefits of Fish Oil Supplements or Krill Oil Supplements

We’ve now formed a basic understanding of what fish oil is. Now it’s time to explore what it actually does. As discussed fairly briefly earlier in the article. Fish oil has a supportive role in many biological systems throughout the body. Experts attribute this to its ability to support healthy inflammatory responses, particularly DHA. It supports healthy inflammatory responses directly by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). This is a very important mediator of cytokines. NF-κB is also particularly sensitive to oxidative stress. This is because oxidative stress degrades an inhibitory protein called IκB, to which NF-κB normally binds.

DHA increases levels of glutathione, and thus regulates NF-κB activation by regulating the degradation of IκB. DHA also activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR‐γ). Activation of which directly decreases the induction of cytokines while also interrupting NF-κB activation. Furthermore, a significant portion of our brain cells and other cells throughout our bodies consist of DHA. The DHA in these cells binds to phospholipids, which degrade during tissue stress. This causes a release of free DHA. Subsequently, DHA oxidizes to form resolvins and protectins. Resolvins downregulate NF-κB expression and protectins regulate IL-1β mediated stimulation of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX)(Bradbury, 2011). Healthy inflammatory responses are the underlying mechanism for most of the positive effects associated with fish oil listed earlier in the article. Inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms mediate many biological functions.

DHA In The Brain

We briefly mentioned above that DHA releases from phospholipids during periods of oxidative stress. This mechanism is crucial because oxidative stress correlates directly with metabolic activity. Therefore, it is no surprise that DHA concentrations are highest in areas of the body that are very metabolically active. In particular, the brain, which uses an enormous amount of energy relative to its size (2.3% of body weight, 23% of total energy consumption). In the brain, DHA concentrations are highest in grey matter, which is the most metabolically active tissue in the brain.

During oxidative stress in the brain, DHA releases from phospholipids and converts to neuroprotectin. Neuroprotectin can regenerate nerves, support oxidative stress-induced apoptosis, and support oxidative stress. In addition, during neuron activation, small amounts of DHA release into the cytosol of the cell. Most of it rapidly reincorporates into the cell, but a small portion can convert to neuroprotectin (Green et al., 2008). Additionally, higher brain DHA levels correlate with higher BDNF levels. BDNF is incredibly important for the maintenance of neuroplasticity and has various potential neuroprotective benefits throughout the brain.

DHA also appears to be a major component of vesicles, structures within the neuron filled with neurotransmitters. Cognitive functioning requires an adequate amount of vesicles. In particular DHA levels appear to directly influence vesicle density in an area of the brain called the hippocampus, a crucial hub for memory and proper cognitive functioning.

EPA In The Brain

In terms of EPA’s support of healthy inflammatory responses, it shares most of DHA’s effects, but it also has some potentially unique benefits that distinguish it from DHA. To start, EPA inhibits the enzyme delta-5-desaturase (D5D), which synthesizes the ω-6 PUFA arachidonic acid (AA). This is important because, like DHA, AA also converts to biologically active metabolites. However, instead of supporting healthy inflammatory responses, the AA metabolites are pro-inflammatory. Furthermore EPA, similar to DHA produces resolvins when it comes into contact with the enzymes COX and lipoxygenase (LOX), these are the same two enzymes that convert AA to its pro-inflammatory metabolites. This means that EPA and AA compete for this enzyme and thus, a higher EPA:AA ratio is going to result in the production of less AA metabolites and more EPA metabolites that support healthy inflammatory responses.

How Do I Know What The Best Krill Oil or Fish Oil Supplement Is For Me? 

To summarize fish oils main benefits are due to its DHA and EPA content which both play a role in our bodies healthy inflammatory response and support of cognitive function. DHA is a major component of the cells in our bodies and it could be said that DHA is the most important for younger individuals since increased DHA consumption could lead to enhanced cognitive functioning. On the other hand an EPA deficiency seems much more likely and appears to have some serious consequences, EPA consumption would likely be more suited to older individuals whom are interested in supporting cognitive functioning. 

So, based on this information what fish oil do you choose? We offer a  triple strength fish oil, which contains equal amount of EPA and DHA; this would be a fantastic choice for somebody looking to support their overall health. We also offer a  70% DHA fish oil, which would be a great choice for younger individuals whom are interested in promoting the DHA content, since increased DHA content in the brain could potentially support cognitive functioning. We also offer a  krill oil, which as mentioned earlier contains EPA and DHA, which is already bound in phospholipids.

This increases the bioavailability of EPA and DHA but also appears to support stress management and cognition promoting activity, which could potentially be due to the phospholipid content. Based on this, krill oil would be a good choice for an individual looking to use fish oil for its stress support and cognition promoting activity. We also have a  blend of krill oil and wild Alaskan salmon oil, which boasts many of the same benefits as krill oil with the added benefit of containing more DHA, vitamin D and 8 other essential fatty acids.