Eating fish gives you a dose of vitamins and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. If you have a difficult time getting enough fish in your diet, you may find benefits in taking a cod-liver oil supplement. These supplements are derived from healthy sources of oils found in cod, a common Atlantic Ocean fish.
Significance: Cholesterol and Triglycerides
Cholesterol and triglycerides are two substances that circulate in your blood. Their levels can help your physician determine your overall heart health. Having high triglyceride and cholesterol levels means you have an excess amount of fat in your diet. This fat can make your blood thicker, and the cholesterol can build up in your blood vessels, causing them to narrow. This is why high cholesterol and triglycerides are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Effectiveness
MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, rates fish oil, such as that found in cod liver oil, to be effective in treating high triglycerides. Fish oil can lower triglyceride levels by 20 to 50 percent, making it a treatment that is nearly as effective as prescription medications. For the treatment of high cholesterol, MedlinePlus rates fish oil as "likely effective." While the exact mechanism by which cod-liver oil works is unknown, current theories suggest fish oil keeps the intestines from absorbing cholesterol.
Recommended Levels
The amount of cod-liver oil you need may depend on your unique health status. Talk to your doctor before you begin taking cod-liver oil to ensure that it will not interact adversely with medications you're taking and to establish the appropriate dosage. For example, if you need to lower your triglyceride levels, take a cod-liver oil supplement that has 2 to 4 g of EPA and DHA -- two compounds found in fish oil -- per day. If you have heart disease, take a cod-liver oil supplement that has 0.6 to 3.7 g of DHA.
Considerations
The omega-3 fatty acids in cod-liver oil can enhance your heart health, but its value doesn't stop there. Cod-liver oil has high levels of vitamins A and D. These vitamins can be beneficial if you have a difficult time getting them in your diet. You need to have the right amounts of each, however, so talk with your doctor first.
References
- People's Pharmacy; Cod Liver Oil Controls Cholesterol; Joe and Terry Graedon; March 2007
- MedlinePlus; Fish Oil; February 2011
- HealthCastle.com; Fish Oil Supplements and Cholesterol: Heart Association Recommends Fish Oil Supplements; Gloria Tsang, RD; 2011
- American Heart Association; Triglycerides; May 2010
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