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- Cod Liver Oil Enjoys a Resurgence in Popularity
- Myth #1: All Cod Liver Oil is Basically the Same
- Myth #2: Â Cod Liver Oil Contains Dangerous Amounts of Vitamin A
- Myth #3: Â Cod Liver Oil Contains Toxins Such as Mercury, PCBs and Dioxins
- Myth #4: Â Plain Fish Oil is Better Than Cod Liver Oil
- Myth #5: Â Cod Liver Oil is a Good Source of Vitamin D
- More Information about Cod Liver Oil
Cod liver oil is perhaps the world’s most misunderstood superfood. First recorded by Hippocrates for medicinal use in Ancient Greece around 400 BC, cod liver oil has enjoyed a storied history since.
Ancestral cultures as diverse as the Eskimos and the South Seas Islanders both revered the use of fish liver oils for their health-giving properties, especially with regard to fertility and producing sturdy children.
British physician Dr. John Hughes Bennett noted in 1848 that cod liver oil had been utilized since the beginning of recorded history by the fishing communities of Scotland, Sweden, and Norway for its strengthening properties as well as for medicine.
Doctors prescribed cod liver oil to treat rickets, a vitamin D deficiency disease, starting about 1800, perhaps even earlier. A couple of decades later in 1820, the practice of using cod liver oil to prevent and treat rickets was widespread in the countries of Germany, Holland and the Netherlands.
The anti-infective nature of cod liver oil due to the natural vitamin A content made it an indispensable remedy for all manner of illnesses prior to the advent of antibiotics including tuberculosis, measles, and diseases of the eyes.
According to the book Ultraviolet Light and Vitamin D in Nutrition, the United States imported about 1.8 million gallons of cod oil and cod liver oil in 1922.  Cod oil is used for tanning while cod liver oil is taken as a supplement but the two were not separated in the data kept by the US Department of Commerce at the time.  Five short years later in 1927, the amount nearly tripled to 5 million gallons with most of the increase in edible cod liver oil due to research showing its benefits in preventing rickets.
A little over 70 years later, America imported less than a half a million gallons in the year 2000, a steep and shocking decline in use no doubt due to the rapid transition and reliance of the medical profession since the middle of the last century on synthetic vitamins, antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs to prevent and treat disease symptoms.
Cod Liver Oil Enjoys a Resurgence in Popularity
Since the turn of the millenium, cod liver oil has been enjoying a significant resurgence in popularity as interest in natural remedies and whole food supplements for maintaining health and wellness grows. The worrisome problem of antibiotic resistance and the growing body of evidence that antibiotics can do significant harm and perhaps even irreparable damage to the gut has motivated forward thinking individuals to look to the past for effective and safe alternatives.
Unfortunately, this interest has not been without controversy as confusion regarding this ancient superfood abounds.
The predominant myths about cod liver oil are discussed in the commentary below:
Myth #1: All Cod Liver Oil is Basically the Same
The truth is that almost all cod liver oil on the market today is heavily industrialized with processing taking place in Iceland or Norway. This destructive manufacturing process which includes alkali refining, bleaching, and deodorization (oil kept at 482 F/ 250 C for up to 6 hours) destroys the natural vitamins A and D and damages fragile omega-3 fatty acids. Synthetic vitamins are typically added back in to meet desired labeling requirements.
Cod liver oil as used traditionally was not widely manufactured using this violent, denaturing process and certainly no synthetic vitamins were ever added in. Â As a result, if one desires the ancient benefits of cod liver oil, it is important to seek a manufacturer who produces this supplement using old fashioned processing techniques which render and purify the oil at low temperatures to preserve nutrients (sources).
Myth #2: Â Cod Liver Oil Contains Dangerous Amounts of Vitamin A
It is very important that intake of vitamin A be balanced with its synergistic companion vitamin D. Â Unfortunately, some cod liver oils on the market contain very little vitamin D and even when included in larger amounts, the vitamin D is commonly synthetic in origin. Prolonged intake of cod liver oil that contains vitamin A with little vitamin D could lead to symptoms of osteoporosis and other health challenges if the diet is also lacking in vitamin D according to research performed in Europe.
If cod liver oil is consumed that has been manufactured in a traditional manner with the natural vitamins A and D preserved in their correct ratios, however, these problems are avoided and the benefits of this ancient supplement optimally enjoyed.
Myth #3: Â Cod Liver Oil Contains Toxins Such as Mercury, PCBs and Dioxins
All modern cod liver oil processing techniques such as molecular distillation remove heavy metals and other toxins. Cod liver oil manufactured using traditional, low heat rendering methods is purified using a proprietary filtering method with every batch tested for purity (sources).
Myth #4: Â Plain Fish Oil is Better Than Cod Liver Oil
The truth is that most fish oil on the market comes from farmed fish that are treated with antibiotics. Â It is a little know fact that farmed salmon are fed more antibiotics per pound than any other livestock in North America!
In addition, noncarnivorous species of fish such as salmon, which are omnivores, eat almost anything, and are a popular source for commercial fish oil, are commonly fed an unnatural diet which includes GMO soy and corn.
The final nail in the coffin for the myth that plain fish oil is somehow better than cod liver oil is that the vast majority of fish oils on the market contain little to no vitamins A and D and the caustic chemical and high temperature processing damages the delicate omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA).
Myth #5: Â Cod Liver Oil is a Good Source of Vitamin D
Most cod liver oil on the market is purified using the process of molecular distillation which removes most of the natural vitamin D. Some manufacturers add it back in, but it is usually synthetic and in smaller amounts than would naturally occur in the oil.
Therefore, if a primary reason for taking cod liver oil is for the natural vitamin D, it is imperative to seek out a brand that preserves the natural vitamin D by employing old fashioned processing methods and does not add any synthetic vitamin D.
If cod liver oil is a whole food supplement you would like to start taking in your home, click here for a quality source employing optimal processing and purification techniques so you can enjoy all the benefits and none of the downside of this ancient superfood.
More Information about Cod Liver Oil
Doctor’s Orders: Your Family Needs Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Cod Liver Oil 101 (plus Video How-to)
How to Best Swallow Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Sources:
Cod Liver Oil Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
Cod Liver Oil the Number One Superfood
Cod Liver Oil: Setting the Record Straight
The Yin and Yang of Cod Liver Oil
Is it of utmost importance that you consume your fermented cod liver oil with pasture butter or butter oil at the same meal or is it OK to spread out your butter consumption through out the day even if you took your cod liver oil in the morning?
Hi – just wanted to comment.
For the lady who is battling cavities eventhough taking the FCLO and BO. All of us in our family are taking the same thing and have no new cavities, except for my oldest son.
We are working on his gut flora,(long story), but the gut has to be in optimal condition for you to absorb the nutrients in the FCLO/BO. Healing the gut takes time and I am not sure about the GAPS diet, as I tried it and developed new cavities (long story). But the fact of the matter remains that you all should be on a very good probiotic, lots of gelatin, and especially lots of K2 (raw milk cheese, natto, raw butter).
Hi Sarah,
Could you please answer to my question?
How much cod liver oil (the mix of butter oil and cod liver gel) should a pregnant woman take daily?
Thanks!
2 tsp/day is recommended
I don’t know the amount of A/D in the mixed, gel product so please contact the company on how much cod liver oil and butter oil is in each dose. Then you will have to do the math to work it out to come in line with recommendations for the Weston Price Foundation on the diet for pregnant and nursing women page.
I have to say that while I absolutely believe in FCLO and even unfermented in the right dosage and preparation…it is frustrating for me to know that Green Pastures s the only one on the market you recommend because it is really expensive and my family cannot afford the healthy diet and the supplement. The WAPF website lists a few other acceptable options. Why don´t you?
Its the only one that is fermented and whole. It may seem pricey, but one bottle will last one person 5 months or so, at one dose per day.
I agree. I even found a thread of other people who like me, have noticed nosebleeds and other problems after taking Green Pasture FCLO that weren’t there from just the plain stuff. After I finish this bottle I’m not planning to buy more from them. It is so acidic that it inflames my toddler’s skin on contact and gives her diaper rash.
I have been taking fermented cod liver oil since July 2012 and my elderly Mom, also.
Her vitamin D is always low and she just had her gallbladder removed last August. Do I need to order her some extra vitamin D or get her some bitters since she no longer has a gallbladder?
Hello Wendell,
I cannot answer about the Vit D as I think testing may be the only way to determine that. I did learn in nutrition school, however, that every person without a gallbladder should take bile salts with their meals. The gallbladder normally squirts out bile salts during the digestion process, emulsifying the fats. WIthout the gallbladder, the liver might drip bile all day long (if it’s not all clogged up) but it won’t be sufficient when the emulsifying job needs to be done. I’d send you a link to this info but I’m having some really funky stuff going on with my computer right now and can’t get to it.
I never new about fermented cod liver oil. I will tell you, however, that if it wasn’t for cod liver oil I would not be able to walk as I do now. I was literally unable to walk…unless you call very short shuffling walking. I could not pick up my legs enough to step over a sock on the floor. This is truth. Getting in or out of a tub was excruciating getting up from a sit was excruciating too. I lived on the 2nd floor of an apartment complex in that time. It was terror for me to have to go to the bathroom or better yet….to go outside for any reason. Yet I still had no choice about going out as I had to take my dog out. If I needed to go to the store for any reason it was much more terrifying! If I got to the car…could I get in? If I got in and made it to the store…could I get out? There were times I got in the car, got to the store and couldn’t get out and had to come back home and wait for someone to come along to assist me getting back up! (a long time of waiting) If it wasn’t for some show on Public access TV about cod liver oil and a study done I would not have known about its properties. It took 4 months of taking medicinal doses 3 times a day, which, first of all stopped the pain!…..then,in time, it healed me enough to actually walk and eventually take full strides! I give the glory to our Heavenly Father for all of this!
Love your newsletter but respectfully disagree on the use of fish oil and or cod liver oil..
It may be good in the short but not the long haul..and I use to take, but now I would not touch with a 10 foot pole…regardless where it came from….
Sid the article is about fish oil not fermented cod liver oil. There is a big difference. I am not surprised at the results of the study if the participants took plain old farmed fish oil. Read myth number 4. Just like you I would not take fish oil or cod oil… only fermented cod liver oil! I encourage you to read sarah other articles to help you understand the difference!
Me and my family take it but have not really seen any benefits. the dentist found 3 cavities at my last checkup and I have been cavity free for over 5 years. Been taking Green Pastures cod liver oil and butter oil for past year and a half at the WAP foundation recommended dosages. Also eat a full traditional diet for past 2 years which is very time consuming when you work full time outside of the home and have a family to feed. Wish all the extra time and effort was paying off.
I’m sorry it hasn’t been working out for you. Have you been eating oatmeal often? I’ve read that soaking does nothing for oatmeal, because it is always heat treated before being sold. I think it deactivates the phytase so the phytic acid can no longer be broken down.
Just a thought. I hope you find what works for you.
P.S. Paleo/Primal is like WAPF but with a generally quicker prep time (no soaking, sprouting, etc because no grains!).
I used to love Blue Ice, until Green Pastures raised their prices and stopped making my favorite kind… not good business. What a monopoly.
My boys love the cinnamon tingle fermented cod liver/butter oil!