For quite some years it has been accepted wisdom that cod liver oil is good for you. Maybe it was your grandmother who first told you about the benefits of cod liver oil.
Is this the case? Are there cod liver oil benefits or is it a myth? Has modern science confirmed that there are indeed cod liver oil benefits? And are there risks to taking cod liver oil?
Yes your grandmother was right, even though science may not have known then that there were good reasons for taking cod liver oil supplements.
The majority of the benefits of cod liver oil relate to the Omega 3 content, because of course cod liver oil has Omega 3 fats in it. And as you would know if you have read some of our other information there is a wide range of benefits from adding some more Omega 3 to your diet.
Cod liver oil also has beneficial vitamins as well, such as vitamins A and D. Vitamin D is an important vitamin in the body because it helps us process calcium so is useful for strong bones and is therefore helpful in preventing osteoporosis.
However there is now some question over how much Vitamin A should be taken. And as there is quite a lot of vitamin A in cod liver oil there are risks of over consumption of vitamin A. For example in the US pregnant women are now advised to avoid vitamin A and this includes cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is not recommended in the UK.
So as well as cod liver oil benefits there are risks too. Yes it's got good Omega 3 fats, but vitamin A is a bit of an issue.
And there is also another risk too. Cod liver oil is sourced, as you might expect from the name, from the livers of cod taken from the North Sea. But in these times there are issues about contamination of fish in the North Sea. They can be contaminated with toxins like mercury, PCBs and heavy metals. Not high levels, but worrying.
When your grandmother took her cod liver oil this wasn't a problem. It is now.
A better way to source your Omega3 fatty acids, the major source of cod liver oil benefits, is to take the best Omega 3 supplements that are clean and free from the risk of excess vitamin A. Vitamin A comes from the liver of the fish but not the flesh, so it isnt a problem in Omega 3 supplements taken from the flesh of fish.
If you do need vitamin A or D supplementation it is quite possible to achieve this through a good vitamin supplement delivering regulated and lower levels.
And it's perfectly possible to get Omega 3 supplements that are quite clean and free of toxins, though not all are.
So yes there can be benefits to taking cod liver oil, and risks. But there are ways to get the benefits of the Omega 3 fats without the risks by taking Omega 3 capsules that are clean and free of vitamin A. Your grandmother was right, there's just better ways to get the benefits now.
Author Resource:-
Want to know more about the benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids? Or about how to get the benefits of Cod Liver Oil in your diet? Visit Peter's Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 