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Throughout the world, medical scientists are encouraging people to eat more fish as fish oil is the only major source of the polyunsaturated Omega-3's, EPA and DHA.  Cod Liver Oil is a naturally rich source of these important Omega-3's, which are unique in their structure & function and aid in our well being. In addition to DHA, EPA, and ALA, Cod Liver Oil contains the important vitamins A & D.  Vitamin A has several important functions in the body, including the maintenance of proper vision.  When the body is deficient in Vitamin A, the eye gradually loses its ability to adapt to changes in light resulting in "night blindness."  Another vital role of Vitamin A concerns the formation, maintenance and growth of skin and mucous membranes, which form the body's primary barrier to infection.  Vitamin D helps regulate and control the metabolism of Calcium and Phosphorus by aiding in the absorption of these two minerals from the small intestine, and by directly affecting the rate at which these minerals form and maintain bone.  (The US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for infants and children has long been 400 IU of Vitamin D.  The scientific basis for this dose was that it approximated what was in a teaspoonful of cod liver oil, found effective to prevent the Vitamin D deficiency disease called rickets.  The current Dietary Reference Intakes by the Institute of Medicine range from 200 to 600 IU per day depending on age.  The US upper limit for Vitamin D is now 2,400 IU per day.)

What is DHA (Docosahexenoic Acid)?

DHA supports normal growth and development, maintains brain and neural functions, and supports visual function.  DHA is a vital component of tissue in the brain and retina of the eye and has a strong role in the function of the membranes of the Central Nervous System.  Also, it is necessary for membrane fluidity and supports nerve cell communication.

What is EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)?

EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) promotes a healthy cardiovascular system by regulating the formation of healthy body prostaglandins.  EPA play a strong role in modulating inflammatory processes including platelet aggregation.  By competing with arachondonic acid in cell membranes, EPA has the ability to reduce the production of inflammatory eicosanoids such as prostaglandin E2 and leucotriene B4, and proinflammatory cytokines.

What is ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid)?

Cod Liver Oil naturally supplies ALA, an Omega-3 that the body cannot synthesize.  DHA and EPA can be synthesized from ALA albeit in limited amounts.

Why is Cod Liver Oil Preferable to Flax?

While flax and soybeans are a source of ALA, a study comparing flax and fish oils showed that subjects given flax oil over a 4-week period did NOT have increased blood levels of DHA.  Converting ALA into DHA is very slow due to the body's limited availability of converstion enyzmes, especially delta-6-desaturase.  Yet, subjects who were given fish oil, did show high blood levels of DHA and EPA.  Giving fish oils directly bypasses any need for extra enzyme conversion and subjects had the benefits available immedietly.

Why is Cod Liver Oil Preferable to Fish Oil?

The main difference between cod liver oil and fish oil is that cod liver oil is high in vitamin D. Many people, especially those who don't have adequate sun exposure, are deficient in vitamin D and would therefore receive all the health benefits from taking cod liver oil.

As sunshine is the main source of vitamin D, a significant number of people should consider switching from fish oil in the warm weather months -- when they tend to have more sun exposure -- to cod liver oil in the cool weather months, when their sun exposure is minimal. However, many people don't get enough sun exposure even in warm weather months, meaning their vitamin D levels may still be too low in summer ... they would therefore benefit from cod liver oil even in warm weather months.

Finally, while vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk for cancer and other diseases, overdosing on vitamin D -- having levels that are too high -- can bring its own set of problems, incluidng osteoporosis and hardening of your arteries. So if your vitamin D levels are too high, even in the winter months you should consider sticking to fish oil versus cod liver oil.

So how do you really know where your body's vitamin D levels are, and therefore which you should choose... fish oil or cod liver oil? There is only one certain way: have your vitamin D levels tested. Because many people are so severely deficient in vitamin D (and because it helps to determine which to consume for your omega-3 intake as well, fish oil or cod liver oil), the vitamin D test is one of the few tests I require every single new patient in my health clinic to take.

While many people who believe they get sufficient sun exposure in the warm weather months choose to follow the guideline of fish oil in summer and cod liver oil in winter, it is my strong recommendation to you to have your vitamin D levels tested before making a firm and ongoing commitment when choosing between fish oil and cod liver oil. Once you know your vitamin D levels, you can then choose based on knowing that cod liver oil is significantly higher in vitamin D.

What makes Nutrition 2000's Cod Liver Oil better than other brands?

Purity and freshness of raw materials are top priorities for Nutrition 2000.  For this reason, only livers of cod fish caught in the northern oceans are used.  Here, in the cleanest seas in the world, the cold ocean waters contain ideal nutrition for the growth of healthy cod.  Only fish harvested from nets in fresh clean artic waters far off the coast of Norway are used for Nutrition 2000's Cod Liver Oil.

During the fishing season, cod are gathered and brought to the fishery daily, where workers immediately remove the liver from the cod and the liver oil from the liver tissues.  Most other types of cod liver oil are not processed daily because they come from cod caught by large boats which set out to sea for ten to fourteen days, which delay the processing.  This is an important difference as freshness of the oil depends on how fast the oil is removed from the liver tissue.  By removing the oil from the liver tissue each day, Nutrition 2000's Cod Liver Oil is protected from degradation.

Another distinguishing factor is the fact that Nutrition 2000's Cod Liver Oil is bottled and nitrogen-sealed, removing all air from both the oil and bottle.  Many other types of cold liver oil are shipped to the United States in large drums and then bottled at a later date.  Having the cod liver oil bottles in Norway insures freshness, eliminating any potential problems that could arise during storage of shipping.

Supplement Facts & Dosage

Take one teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil for every 50 pounds of body weight daily.