How many of you have heard of Cod Liver Oil? Some of you may have heard fish oil but cod liver oil? Is it the same as fish oil? What are cod liver oil benefits? What’s the difference? Is it as healthy as fish oil? Is Cod Liver Oil healthier? Should I take it?
We can get fish oil from eating fish or by consuming the supplements. Fish oil is known for omega-3 fatty acids high content. Fish that are rich in this beneficial oil are mackerel, herring, tuna, salmon, codfish, whale blubber, and seal blubber.
There are two amazing omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
If you don’t like to eat fish or even oily fish, taking fish oil supplements could help you get the amazing health benefits.
According to Harvard University research, deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids ranked as the sixth highest killer of Americans.
Cod Liver Oil is a dietary supplement derived from liver of Atlantic codfish. (1) It contains the omega-3 fatty acids like other fish oil, so it helps reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure.
Cod Liver Oil is a very unique fish oil where you can find a perfect balance of vitamin A and D that cannot be found in any other food. These 2 vitamins help support the immune system.
These vitamins also help metabolize calcium. The calcium you get in other minerals mobilizes with these fat-soluble vitamins and they are powerful when there work together.
Some people follow low-fat diet to lower their cholesterol level or blood pressure. Fat is the culprit. Be careful when you are on an extremely low-fat diet, because the calcium is not distributed enough due to the lack of fat in your body.
Fat-soluble vitamins are very crucial for the hair, skin, teeth, and organs, especially during the wintertime when there is not enough sun and when you are on a low-fat diet.
Cod Liver Oil Benefits
When you understand more about cod liver oil benefits, you may want to add it to your supplement list. This one supplement is very good to help you get rid of chronic inflammation which leads to many kinds of diseases.
Helps reduce inflammation
Inflammation is a common thing happening to our body. It is a natural thing happening in our body to fight against infections and heal injuries.
Chronic inflammation is inflammation that is going on at a low level for a period of time. Chronic inflammation is harmful for our health and may increase the risk of some diseases like high blood pressure, or even heart disease. (2, 3, 4)
Cod Liver Oil has high content of omega 3-fatty acids that help suppress the proteins that cause chronic inflammation. (5)
Vitamins A and D in Cod Liver Oil are powerful antioxidants that reduce inflammation by neutralizing harmful free radicals. (6, 7)
There are studies that prove people who lack vitamin A and D are at greater risk of chronic inflammation that leads to other diseases. (8, 9)
Helps Maintain Healthy Bones
As you age, you need to maintain healthy bones to avoid fractures later in older age. After 30 years old, people start losing bone mass density, especially women after menopause. (10, 11)
The vitamin D in cod liver oil is a great help for the body to absorb calcium. In order to have strong bones, you need to consume this mineral. (12, 13)
Taking Cod Liver Oil will help you absorb calcium from the food you eat and therefore help reduce bone loss and strengthen bone density, even in children.
I have heard people consuming calcium supplements to help strengthen their bone, later I found out that in order to have a stronger bone, you actually need to have fat-soluble vitamins to help transport the calcium.
This applies especially for people who live in a country with less sun the whole year round, when there is not enough sunlight to help transform vitamin D into D3. (14)
Helps Reduce Joint Pain and Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a long-term, progressive, and disabling autoimmune disease. Symptoms include inflammation, swelling, and pain in the joints and other body organs. It usually starts in the hands and feet first.
Cod Liver Oil helps reduce the pain and the symptoms caused by rheumatoid arthritis. (15, 16)
A study revealed that 39% of people who took cod liver oil can gradually reduce their anti-inflammatory medicines by over 30%. These individuals who participated in the study take cod liver oil and the pain from rheumatoid arthritis is reduced therefore reducing the medications. (17)
Cod Liver Oil Helps Support Eye Health with Vitamin A
One of the many Cod Liver Oil benefits include eye health.
As people age, vision loss usually comes along. The main common problems are glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which are resulted from chronic inflammation.
The omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A in cod liver oil help protect against eye diseases caused by chronic inflammation. (18)
The omega-3 fatty acids even helps reduce the pressure by increasing aqueous outflow. (19)
Vitamin A helps support your eye health but you cannot take it in high doses because it can cause toxicity.
Your overall health will be even more improved if you consider reducing carbohydrate intake – Healthy Ketosis and doing Intermittent Fasting.
One study revealed that when people take vitamin A, they have a lower risk of getting glaucoma compared to those who do not take vitamin A. (20)
Helps Reduce Heart Disease Risk
High triglycerides, high blood pressure, high HDL cholesterol, and clogged arteries are the things that most people are afraid of. These are the most common causes of heart-related diseases.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been known to help reduce heart-related diseases:
It reduces triglycerides.
The omega-3 fatty acids in cod liver oil helps reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. This helps reduce the risk of heart disease. (21, 22, 23)
It lowers blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure and high cholesterol who take fish oil or cod liver oil have been reported to have lower blood pressure. (24)
It increases HDL cholesterol.
Omega-3 fatty acids content in cod liver oil helps increase HDL cholesterol (the so-called good cholesterol) therefore lowering the risk of heart disease. (25, 26)
It helps prevent plaque formation in the arteries.
Plaque formation in the arteries can cause stroke or sudden heart attack. Taking cod liver oil with omega-3 fatty acids content can help reduce plaque formation. (27, 28)
Cod Liver Oil Helps Improve Anxiety and Depression
Many studies have been done to show that cod liver oil with omega-3 fatty acids can help lower chronic inflammation, reduce anxiety and depression. (29, 30)
When you have chronic inflammation, you tend to have anxiety and depression. Chronic inflammation, anxiety, and depression are all somehow related. (31, 32)
People who consume cod liver oil regularly have a lower risk of anxiety and depression. (33)
Vitamin D in cod liver oil helps bind the receptors in the brain and stimulate the release of serotonin.
More studies need to be done to confirm the effect of cod liver oil on mental health. Changes in lifestyle and proper diet will need to be applied to have good mental health. The brain works more effectively on ketones than on glucose.
By the way, one supplement that helps with anxiety and depression is Nutritional yeast.
Helps Heal Stomach Ulcers
Ulcers are caused by bacterial infections, smoking, acidity in the stomach, too much sugar intake, anti-inflammatory medications.
One study on animal shows that taking cod liver oil helps treat the stomach ulcer, but more studies on humans are needed to confirm this. (34)
Helps Improve Your Skin Appearance
Cod liver oil especially the liquid form helps improve the skin. One week of consumption can reduce the dryness of the skin. The omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and D helps moisturize the skin and make it glow even more.
Best Cod Liver Oil To Take
Some people get their vitamins A and D from a plant source but the quality or the amount of these vitamins from the plant source is not the same from the animal source.
All plant-based vitamin A is pre-vitamin A, and this type of pre-vitamin A has to be converted in the body into real vitamin A, and only a small amount of it is converted. That is why you really need the animal-based fat-soluble vitamins.
Cod Liver Oil is available in liquid and soft gel form. No need to worry about the fishy taste. Both liquid and soft gel form has no such taste. There are many brands out there, here are some I recommend. You can choose either the soft gel form or the liquid form.
Soft gel form is just more practical and easier to take. You can take it anywhere with you in a pillbox along with other supplements.
This one comes with several flavors: apple and lemon. I personally like the apple one. There is no added sweetener, so it is safe if you’re doing Healthy Ketosis diet.
When Is the Best Time to take Cod Liver Oil?
Cod Liver Oil is better taken with a meal, in the morning or in the evening. This can help decrease the side effects experienced by some people with more sensitive reaction towards cod liver oil.
Helps Boost Memory
A group of 18-25 taking fish oil supplements for 6 months has reported increased memory. DHA, alone or combined with EPA, contributes to improved memory function in older adults with mild memory complaints. (36)
Consuming cod liver oil clearly gives us a lot of benefits including faster muscle recovery after workouts, less stress, better mood, and even weight loss.
Cod Liver Oil Side Effects
Taking too much cod liver oil is possibly unsafe. High doses of vitamin A will become toxic.
Some possible side effects include belching, bad breath, loose stools, heartburn, and nausea. However, you may also need to check other food you take on the same day you have these side effects.
Cod Liver Oil Dosage
The following doses are based on scientific research. (35)
- For lowering triglycerides: 20 ml of cod liver oil per day
- For lowering high cholesterol: 30 ml of cod liver oil per day
- For lowering blood pressure: 20 ml of cod liver oil per day
Is Cod Liver Oil Better Than Fish Oil?
Both oils contain omega-3 fatty acids, but cod liver oil contains a perfect balance of vitamin A and D. Those 2 extra vitamins are fat-soluble vitamins, so it is better to take cod liver oil with foods, especially fatty foods, as it makes it easier to absorb the omega-3 fatty acids.
You may want to have cod liver oil as your supplement in line with having a healthy lifestyle after reading the benefits. It has helped me greatly.
A change of healthy lifestyle and eating patterns will complement greatly. Cod Liver Oil is just one small step to help you move closer to being healthy.
My principle is preventing is better than curing. Maybe you need to spend more money on some supplements to help you live a healthier life, but still, it is better than spend the money in a hospital.
I believe that everyone is entitled to know about health information and how to apply it to them. If you think this article helps you learn about Cod Liver Oil benefits or have any questions, please leave a comment below.
Hi all! My name is Claudia Syanny and I write articles here at Olive Oylee! I believe that everyone is entitled to know how the body works to get a healthy body. I share my experiences and the strategies I used to be healthy and lose weight in the end.