The Benefits of Norwegian Cod Liver Oil
Most fish oils are mostly heart healthy because of the omega 3 oils they contain, but CLO offers so much more Perhaps its time to take another look at what the rich oil can do for you!
Most people choose to take supplements but some people still prefer taking it by the spoonful. If you’ve ever gotten the fish burps, you can easily get rid of these by trying a few different methods. One of them is bound to work for you! Books published in the 1930s and 1940s routinely recommended Norwegian cod liver oil, starting with 1 teaspoon at the age of three weeks. Dr. Spock, author of the book 'Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care' started recommending vaccinations instead of giving cod liver oil. (You can read an article about How Dr. Spock Destroyed America here. Its interesting and does have its legitimate points!) Before that time, cod liver oil was given to children at an early age because it prevented and treated so many different conditions! However, as societies became modernized, many parents were persuaded to vaccinate their children. After all, supplements weren’t available at that time, and giving a child cod liver oil by the spoonful was a tremendous task for parents because it tasted so awful! As society has strayed away from older practices, more diseases are prevalent today than at any other time. Maybe we should reconsider the complexity of modern times and find our way back to simpler ‘natural’ ways of handling our health problems! In northern latitudes (Iowa), sunshine is too diminished in the winter to generate sufficient amounts of vitamin D naturally. At the beginning of the last century, it was standard practice to give breastfed infants a teaspoon of Norwegian cod liver oil, which averaged 440 IU of vitamin D3 per day. When the use of using formula became popular, vitamin D was added to formula to prevent a deficiency. Since the 1970’s, women went back to breast feeding, but never resumed the practice of giving their babies dietary supplements.
CLO contains large amounts of both vitamin A and vitamin D. Duly noted: Vitamin A and vitamin D3 are both fat soluble vitamins, which means the vitamins can accumulate in your body. If too much of these vitamins are consumed, it can lead to possible toxicity, which is not preferable. In the proper dosages however, vitamin A improves your skin and helps with vision problems. Vitamin D builds strong bones in children and helps prevent osteoporosis in adults. The Benefits of Norwegian Cod Liver OilWhat makes cod liver oil so unique is that it contains an elongated form of omega 3 fatty acids called EPA and DHA. EPA helps form prostaglandins, (localized tissue hormones) that assist inflammation of the body, and DHA assists in the development and function of the brain and nervous system. Researchers funded by Great Britain's Arthritis Research Campaign found that the elongated omega 3 fatty acids in CLO reduced both pain and damage from arthritis in inflamed joints. In numerous other studies, the elongated omega 3 fats were shown to improve brain function, memory, stress response, immune response, allergies, asthma, learning and behavioral disorders, including bipolar syndrome and even manic depression. Omega fatty acids improve the structure of artery walls and vitamin A, D and K improve the elasticity of blood vessels. They also increase seratonin levels, which helps relax heart muscles. In a study with rats, treatment with CLO decreased atheroma's (plague build up) and enlarged blood vessel diameter. Dr. Weston Price noted that heart attack deaths increased during periods when the vitamin A content of the diet was low. Another study in 2004 (Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2004 Nov;113(11):891-901) showed that children supplemented with CLO had fewer upper respiratory infections, resulting in fewer pediatric visits over time.
Two private pediatric offices with similar demographics, located 1.1 miles apart in upper Manhattan, New York City, were randomized to a supplementation site and a medical records control site. Ninety-four children (47 at each site), 6 months to 5 years of age, were enrolled. The supplements were well tolerated; per parental report, 70% of children completed the 5 - 6 month course of Norwegian cod liver oil. The use of CLO in treatment decreased upper respiratory tract pediatric visits over time. In the United States, a major concern among industry in the 1930's was the loss of productivity due to illness in the labor force of 36 million. It was estimated that 250 million working days were lost per year due to illness. Arthur Holmes, medical advisor to the E.L.Patch Compant in Boston, calculated that cold and respiratory illnesses cost American industries $494,836,363.68 per year (Holmes et al. 1936). According to the records, about half of the industrial absenteeism was due to respiratory illness. Holmes and colleagues conducted a trial using CLO among industrial workers in a factory in the American midwest. Over 300 workers received daily Norwegian cod liver oil but some were given no treatment. The trial included both clerical workers and light and heavy machine operators. The outcome of the study was that members in the treatment group had 40% lower absenteeism than the control group (Holmes et al. 1932). A larger trial involving 1800 workers and another with over 3000 workers were reported (Holmes et al. 1936), and these studies suggested that CLO therapy reduced industrial absenteeism by two-thirds. Cod liver oil, which was inexpensive, was considered to have tremendous value in saving millions of dollars in lost working days and lost productivity to American industry. Norwegian cod liver oil given to infants after birth and during the first year had no protective effect against Type I diabetes but it is an important source of nutrients for optimal infant health. In more than forty trials, vitamin A has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality of children. CLO was the supplement of choice in many of these trials. Maternal supplementation with long chain fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years of age.
Fig. 1. Scores on the K-ABC for children whose mothers had taken cod liver oil or corn oil during pregnancy and lactation. Values for the different subtests are shown. MPCOMP, Mental Processing Composite; SEQPROC, Sequential Processing; SIMPROC, Simultaneous Processing; NONVERB, Nonverbal Abilities. What the study found was that with the first incremental increase in blood plasma levels of vitamin D, compared to a lower baseline, there was an associated 17 percent reduction in cancer incidence, a 29 percent reduction in cancer mortality and a 45 percent reduction in digestive system cancer mortality. There was also some reduced incidence of leukemia. The authors were quoted as saying, "The vitamin D supplementation necessary to achieve this (incremental increase) may be at least 1500IU/day." Current recommendations are adequate only to prevent the disease entity associated with a deficiency of vitamin D, or rickets. Sun exposure was one of the selected study determinants for calculating the expected serum (blood) vitamin D levels and was probably the most important source. The authors state, "If the promise of vitamin D holds, a brief walk in the sun may turn out to be a step toward cancer prevention." Furthermore, "Although melanomas (skin cancer) account for approximately 7000 deaths annually in males in the United States, 295,000 men die annually of all cancers. We estimate a 29 percent lower cancer mortality rate (i.e., 85,550 fewer deaths annually) if the predicted serum vitamin D levels are increased." It is thereby recommended that getting a regular dose of UVB exposure via the sun is good, but you shouldn't get sunburned. Sunlight (vitamin D) may substantially reduce your risk of certain cancers by as much as 45 percent. The rate for skin cancer may rise, but if the overall mortality rate drops even half the estimated amount of 85,550 per year and the mortality rate for melanoma doubles you are still talking about a net decrease in mortality of 28,775 mens' lives saved or about a 10 percent reduction for all cancer. While this study was directed at men only, a reasonable assumption is there is some benefit for women as well. Sunlight may not be the best or only way to get your vitamin D. Your location (depending on longitude and latitude) may not give you the sun exposure you need. Those at higher risk may need supplementation. Those in the high risk for deficiencies include: vegetarians, couch potatoes, women with closely spaced pregnancies, persons with fat malabsorption syndromes and surgical gall bladder removal, certain medications, diabetes, osteoporosis and the elderly. For those that are at high risk, be sure to get the vitamin D you need, which is 800 IU (international units) daily from supplements. If you use a Norwegian cod liver oil, keep track of how much you’re taking.
Secondary dentine, (a lesser form of tubular dentine), is produced throughout life as a patching material where cavities have begun. Sometimes when cavities occur, production of secondary dentine can "heal" the decayed spot or rebuild portions of the tooth that have worn away. If vitamin D is adequate, secondary dentine will be well calcified. If vitamin D is lacking, dentine will be of poor quality or not present at all. There is some evidence that the mineralization of dentine may depend on calcium derived from saliva rather than from the blood. In other words, it is deposited from the exterior rather than the interior of the tooth. The calcium content of saliva doubled or even tripled when the diet contained adequate vitamin D from Norwegian cod liver oil.
The vitamin D found in one tablespoon of Norwegian cod liver oil, is equal to one-half pound of fatty herring or sardines. Salmon oil has one-fifth the potency of cod liver oil. Cod Liver Oil ConcernsOne concern about taking Norwegian cod liver oil is the presence of contaminants of heavy metals (such as mercury, cadmium and lead), PCB’s etc. All supplements in the US must be tested according to protocols laid out by the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) and be approved free of detectable levels of 32 contaminants before they can be imported into the US. Furthermore, mercury is water soluble and although it may be present in the flesh of fish, it is not present in the oil.
Instead, purchase pure Norwegian cod liver oil in small quantities in dark bottles. Keep cod liver oil in a cool dark place, such as your refrigerator. Cod liver oil need not be refrigerated after opening if it is used up quickly or within two months. Norwegian Cod Liver Oil DosageVirtually all cod liver oil imported into the US comes from Norway. There are different grades of the oil, depending on vitamin levels. The lighter oil from the "top of the barrel" has a lower molecular weight, goes rancid more quickly, and has lower levels of vitamins, while the heavier oil, which sinks, is richer in vitamins. The heavier oil is referred to as high vitamin cod liver oil. It contains double the amounts of vitamin A and D as regular cod liver oil. Virtually all cod liver oil imported into the US is the lighter, "top of the barrel" variety. The Norwegians are very smart and keep the best for themselves! For most people, a safe dosage of Norwegian cod liver oil is approximately one teaspoon per 50 pounds of body weight per day. If you have concerns about taking CLO, please consult your physician before starting on it. Nutrients in 2 Tsp. Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil The History of Fish Oil Use1890 - Cod liver oil is used as a home remedy to treat rickets, rheumatism, tuberculosis and other ailments.1930 - Fish oil is used as a key ingredient in shortening. 1950 - Dale Alexander publishes a book touting cod liver oil as an elixir for arthritis, earning him the nickname the "codfather." 1970 - Researchers find that Greenland's Inuit have low levels of heart disease, likely because of diets rich in fish. It is one of the first associations between omega 3 fatty acids and good health. 1990 - As studies increase on the benefits of omega 3's, more consumers start taking fish oil supplements made from a variety of fish. 2000 - Aquaculture demands more and more fish oil. Today fish oil is injected into bread and tamales, among other foods. Cod Liver Salad (Tursamaksasalat)1 can of cod liver chunks, drained (reserve the oil), 1 small shallot, (chopped), one pickled cucumber, one finely chopped boiled egg, salt, and black pepper. Mix all the ingredients, add some of the reserved oil to make it moister if you want. How to Avoid Fish Burps from Omega 3 OilsMany people complain that taking fish oil supplements, gives them the ‘fish burps’ later on. The best way to avoid them is by: Any of these suggestions will work but you can also just go the easy route and take enteric coated fish oil supplements Whenever you think about the benefits of consuming Norwegian cod liver oil, remember the findings of Dr. Weston Price. He noted that he did not get good results from cod liver oil unless it was also taken with high-vitamin butter. Just why this is so is a matter of speculation, but it is known that the unsaturated fatty acids found in cod liver oil cannot be effectively assimilated and stored in the tissues without the presence of adequate saturated fatty acids. (the kind that butter would provide). The consumption of butter helps support cod liver oil therapy, but Dr. Price found that the combination of cod liver oil with high-vitamin butter, (from cows who graze green grass), was nothing short of miraculous, reversing tooth decay and in some cases, bringing patients back from the brink of death. Dr. Weston A. Price DDS was a Cleveland dentist, who has been called the "Charles Darwin" of Nutrition. Searching for the causes of dental decay and physical degeneration he observed daily in his dental practice, he turned from test tubes and microscopes to study "people with fine teeth" – the isolated "primitives." Traveling worldwide, Dr. Price found that straight teeth, freedom from tooth decay, stalwart bodies, resistance to disease, and fine characters were typical of primitives eating traditional diets. Dr. Price's classic volume Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects (1939) is available online. Its photographs illustrate in an unforgettable way that physical degeneration occurs when human groups abandon nourishing traditional diets in favor of modern convenience foods. You can find out more about Dr. Weston Price and his studies here. Related Pages on This Site Fighting Cancer Without Chemotherapy Preventing Cancer – How to Reduce the Risks! How to Relieve Stress and Save Your Health Stay Healthy and Enjoy More of Your Life! Omega 3 Oils – To Improve Your Health Have a Heart – A Healthy Heart! Reduce the Risk of Cancer through Nutrition Related Products Apple Cider Vinegar Supplements
Didn't find what you were looking for? Use your keywords and this handy tool to find it fast!
Back to Top of Page
Great Ways to Save Money on Health
Go from Norwegian Cod Liver Oil Back to Look Great, Lose Weight, Save Money.com/
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
. You can take these supplements whenever you like and not worry about getting fish burps ever!
