It may have been your grandmother who first told you about cod liver oil benefits. For a long time it has been accepted wisdom that cod liver oil is good for you.
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 in fact your grandmother wasn’t wrong, there really are benefits to taking cod liver oil, and science has now confirmed it.
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 whilst cod liver oil has some good Omega 3 fats vitamin A is a bit of an issue. There are risks.
And there is another risk to taking cod liver oil supplements. It is, as the name suggests, sourced from the livers of cod fish taken from the North Sea. Unfortunately there are issues associated with contamination of fish with various contaminants, including heavy metals, PCBs and mercury. Although levels are not high they are sufficient to be worrying. And the liver accumulates more of these toxins.
When your grandmother took her cod liver oil this wasn’t a problem. It is now.
But you can get the benefits of cod liver oil without the risks. Take the best Omega 3 supplements which are free of contaminants and also free of vitamin A.
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 the very best Omega 3 supplements are also much cleaner than cod liver oil may be, with levels of contaminants being basically undetectable.
Yes your grandmother was right, there are cod liver oil benefits. But there are ways to get the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids without the risks. Take the best Omega 3 supplements and you get the benefits without the risks.
Find out which are the best Omega 3 supplements at my website.
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