People who supplement their diets with omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids are likely familiar with flax seed and fish oils. A less familiar choice, Norwegian cod liver oil, offers many of the same benefits, and some additional ones. According to Krispin Sullivan, a clinical nutritionist writing for the Weston A. Price Foundation, studies dating as far back as 1918 give cod liver oil an "A+" rating. In addition to omegas, cod liver oil is a great source of vitamins A , D, and K.
Diabetes Prevention
Norwegian cod liver oil has been shown to prevent diabetes. A study published in 2003 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" concluded that children who ingested cod liver oil during the first year of life had a lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes during childhood. "Cod liver oil may reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes," researchers concluded, "perhaps through the anti-inflammatory effects of long-chain n-3 fatty acids".
Rickets Prevention and Reversal
One of the earliest uses of Norwegian cod liver oil was as a source of vitamin D, to prevent and reverse rickets by addressing deficiency in that nutrient. Rickets is a disease that softens bones, making them very prone to breakage. A study in the "Canadian Medical Association Journal" notes that cod liver oil, sunlight, and milk fortified in vitamin D have all but made rickets disappear worldwide. Canadian scientists, however, insist that, in areas of the world where sunlight or vitamin D milk are in short supple, cod liver oil sometimes remains the only treatment.
Joint Pain
Cod liver oil can ease joint pain and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. A Spanish study, published in the "Journal of Rheumatology" in 2000, found that sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis had a abnormal fatty-acid pattern, and suggested that supplementation with cod liver oil can be beneficial. Cod liver oil contains omega 3 and 6, which can compensate for any fatty-acid deficiencies.
References
- Weston A. Price Foundation: Cod Liver Oil - Number One Superfood - Share The Wealth; Krispin Sullivan, CN; June 29, 2002
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Use of cod liver oil during the first year of life is associated with lower risk of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes; Lars C Stene, Geir Joner and the Norwegian Childhood Diabetes Study Group; December 2003
- "Canadian Medical Association Journal"; Vitamin D--deficiency rickets among children in Canada; Leanne M. Ward, MD, Isabelle Gaboury, MSc, Moyez Ladhani, MD, and Stanley Zlotkin, MD PhD; July 17, 2007
- "The Journal of Rheumatology"; Abnormal fatty acid pattern in rheumatoid arthritis. A rationale for treatment with marine and botanical lipids; E. Navarro et al; Feb. 27, 2000
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