Cod liver oil remains good for your health. It contains both vitamins A and D in addition to omega-3 fatty acids. This fish oil supplement helps with red cell production, better vision, immune response and prevention of illnesses, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Before starting any new supplement, talk to your physician.
Lowering Cholesterol
Cod liver oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which lower a bad type of cholesterol known as triglycerides, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Lowering triglycerides also lowers your risk of heart disease. Taking a fish oil supplement on a regular basis will help keep your arteries free of harmful plaque. Your risk of heart attack and stroke can decrease with the consumption of fish oil supplements such as cod liver oil. Before starting this supplement, talk to your health-care practitioner. Fish oil may interfere with medications such as blood thinners.
Good for Vision
The vitamin A in cod liver oil helps to maintain your vision by its therapeutic effect on the retina. Your eye's retina helps to balance the light coming in, states Gale Maleskey, nutritional therapist and author of "Nature's Medicines: The Definitive Guide to Health Supplements." Vitamin A helps to regulate chemicals and proteins within your eyes.
Growth and Development
Taking cod liver oil during pregnancy provides the fetus with the vitamin A compounds retinol and retinoic acid. Both are necessary for the development of your unborn baby's heart, ears and eyes, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
Good for Immunity
Both vitamins A and D in cod liver oil play key roles in your body's immunity from disease, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Their antioxidant makeup helps rid your body of free radicals -- unstable molecules produced during the natural process of oxidation that occurs during metabolism. Free radicals can damage normal cells and may play a role in the development of cancer and heart disease.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Cod Liver Oil
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin D
- Drugs.com: Cod Liver Oil
- "Amazing Herbal Remedies"; Laurel Dewey; 1997
- "Nature's Medicines: The Definitive Guide to Health Supplements"; Gale Maleskey, et al.; 1999
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin A
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