Cod liver oil is derived from the livers of white fish, such as cod and halibut. You may wish to use cod liver oil instead of fish oil, which may include sardines, anchovies, mackerel or salmon, because there is more Vitamin D in cod liver oil than in fish oil. Cod liver and fish oils also have differing ratios of the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids -- eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Vitamin A
According to Zhion.com, for each gram of cod liver oil, you will obtain 255 ug, or micrograms of vitamin A. Since the Recommended Dietary Allowance of Vitamin A is 800 ug, if you take a scant teaspoon of cod liver oil daily, you should get the proper RDA of the vitamin as an adult. Since Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, you can store the vitamin in your body and needn't renew the vitamin daily like water-soluble vitamins C and B complex. Vitamin A is important for proper vision, especially night vision, and the amount of vitamin A you should use is related to how much it would take to reverse night blindness.
Vitamin D
You should find not less than 2.125 ug of vitamin D in each gram of cod liver oil, according to Zhion.com. Vitamin D is usually gained through sunlight without dietary supplement needed, but since there is much less sunlight available in winter months, taking cod liver oil in winter can be important to your body such as for strong bones. Since the European Union recommended 5 ug of Vitamin D as of 1993, the same scant teaspoon of cod liver oil should provide the RDA of Vitamin D as well.
Other Ingredients
How you take cod liver oil will dictate what other ingredients you may be taking in with the pure cod liver oil. Gelatin, glycerin and water will likely be included in gelcaps of the oil, according to ConsumerLab.com. Purity and label accuracy were a problem with 7 of 24 products reviewed by ConsumerLabs.com, so be careful to use quality products with verifiable ingredients.
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