Cod liver oil is often used as a dietary supplement to increase the amount of "good" fats in your diet, as well as add in a few beneficial vitamins. It comes in liquid you can take by the spoonful, or liquid-gel capsules you can swallow. If you enjoy the taste or want to enhance the flavor of a certain dish, you may also want to use cod liver oil while cooking. Inform your physician if you take cod liver oil supplements to ensure they don't interact with any of your medications.
Monounsaturated Fat
Cod liver oil is rich in a "good" type of fat called monounsaturated fat, or MUFA. About half of the fat in cod liver oil is monounsaturated. When you replace unhealthy saturated and trans fats in your diet with heart-healthy MUFAs, you may decrease your risk of heart disease by reducing certain risk factors, explains MayoClinic.com. MUFAs can improve your blood cholesterol and lower your "bad" low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol. Adding MUFAs to your diet from cod liver oil may also help normalize blood clotting throughout your body.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Cod liver oil is rich in another good fat called "omega-3 fatty acid", which is a type of polyunsaturated fat, or PUFA. Just like MUFAs, this type of heart-healthy fat reduces your risk of heart disease by improving certain risk factors. Omega-3 fatty acids in particular, work by improving blood flow, thus decreasing your risk of coronary artery disease, keep your heart beating in a regular rhythm and may even lower your blood pressure. One study published in the "Rheumatology" journal in 2008 evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3s in cod liver oil. Subjects in the study suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and ingested 10 g of cod liver oil daily. At the end of a 9-month span, most patients were able to decrease their anti-inflammatory medications by an average of 30 percent. Researchers concluded that cod liver oil supplements may be beneficial in treating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, in place of anti-inflammatory medications. While beneficial MUFAs and PUFAs can help your heart and may be beneficial for arthritis, they are still fats, high in calories, and should be limited in your diet.
Vitamin D
You need vitamin D to help absorb calcium, keeping your bones and teeth strong. Vitamin D is a unique fat soluble vitamin that is made in your body when your skin is exposed to direct sunlight. While you can make a little vitamin D, you need to get some from your diet as well, but very few foods provide this important vitamin. A teaspoonful of cod liver oil provides 450 IU of vitamin D, which is about 75 percent of the recommended daily value, or RDA. As a healthy adult, you need 600 IU of vitamin D daily, reports the Linus Pauling Institute. This amount increases slightly to 800 IU after age 70.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A consists of a powerful group of compounds best known for their role in improving overall eye health and supporting better vision. Additionally, vitamin A helps your bones grow, aids in reproduction and allows cells to divide. A 1 tsp portion of cod liver oil has as much as 4,500 IU of vitamin E, more than the RDA of 3,000 IU for men and 2,310 IU for women each day.
References
- "Rheumatology"; Cod Liver Oil (n-3 Fatty Acids) as an Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Sparing Agent in Rheumatoid Arthritis; B. Galarraga, et al.; May 2008
- Medline Plus; Fish Oil; February 2011
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; Fish Oil, Cod Liver
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A
- Linus Pauling Institute; Vitamin D; January 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose; February 2011
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