As surprising as it might sound, fish liver oil has a long history of use for health…
-
Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine” in ancient Greece, used dolphin liver oil to treat skin issues.
-
The Vikings called fish liver oil “the gold of the ocean” for its valuable healing properties.
-
A popular folk remedy in Northern Europe for centuries, cod liver oil received serious attention by English physicians as early as 1782.
Cod liver oil may have been a go-to remedy back in the day, especially your grandmother’s time, but scientists in the 19th century had no clue as to why or how it worked.
They didn’t know if it was just synergy – components in the oil working together – or if it contained unidentified special substances.
The first breakthrough came about in the 1910s. Scientists discovered cod liver oil contained vitamins A and D – two essential nutrients for health. Truly excited, they believed they had uncovered the secret behind cod liver oil’s wondrous effects.
Yet, rat studies raised unanswered questions… Why did other fish oils containing more vitamin A and D than cod liver oil not provide the same benefits? Was there something else they hadn’t yet discovered?
What’s Behind Cod Liver Oil’s Special Powers?
The answer arrived in the early 1970s, when researchers discovered the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in not only cod liver oil but also other fish and fish oils.
But the story doesn’t end there with cod liver oil.
Researchers soon realized that EPA and DHA don’t act alone.
Cod liver oil contains a good amount of other omega-3 fatty acids, such as docosapentaenoic acid, or DPA. And there are other fats in cod liver oil that resemble those in avocados and extra virgin olive oil.
DPA is the third most prevalent omega-3 fat in cod liver oil and is linked to brain, heart and metabolic health. Plus, it appears to serve as a storage depot for EPA and DHA.
Finally, In the 1990s, one more discovery was made that would change how scientists looked at cod liver oil.
They discovered the presence of special signaling molecules called pro-resolving mediators, known as PRMs or SPMs. Never seen in cod liver oil, these bioactives are also found in mother’s milk.
The subject of extensive study, PRMs continue to draw much attention for their role in supporting a healthy inflammatory response and comfortable movement.
To summarize, cod liver oil is unique – and different from any other type of fish oil – because of its “total package” consisting of:
-
DHA for memory, mood, brain and eye health.*
-
EPA for cardiovascular and circulatory health.*
-
DPA for brain, heart and metabolic health.*
-
Naturally occurring vitamins D and A for immune and thyroid health, heathy eyes and skin, brain function, strong bones and much more.*
-
Pro-resolving mediators for cellular health and a balanced immune response, as well as comfortable movement.*
Why You Likely Need Cod Liver Oil
According to GrassrootsHealth, a nonprofit public health research organization, most of the population (as many as 80% to 90% of people) in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Russia, India and much of Europe are deficient in the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.
The typical diet in these countries doesn’t provide enough of these essential fats. And in most every countrys, the problem is compounded by an excess of dietary omega-6 fats.
Western countries, such as the U.S., tend to consume high levels of omega-6 fats from processed foods and seed oils, along with fewer omega-3 fats from sources like wild-caught (not farmed) Alaskan salmon, herring, anchovies and sardines.
In these countries, average blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, tend to fall below 4% - a severe level of deficiency. Optimal levels are above 8%.
So, what can happen if you are deficient in omega-3s?
A lower omega-3 index is associated with an increased risk with the following health concerns:
Because an omega-3 deficiency can seriously threaten your health, I recommend measuring your omega-3 levels, or omega-3 index, on a regular basis.
Available in our store for your convenience, GrassrootsHealth’s Vitamin D & Omega-3 Test Kit measures the levels of omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamin D in your blood.
Measuring your omega-3 index has never been easier. You don’t need a doctor’s prescription to order the test kit and you can take the test right in the comfort of your own home. Simply drop your blood sample and completed paperwork in the mail to be analyzed and receive your results via email when ready.
How Omega-3s and Vitamin D Work Together to Support Your Immune and Metabolic Health*
New research shows there may be some exciting potential benefits from taking vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids together, like what you get when you take cod liver oil.
Some of those benefits include support for your:
-
Metabolic health, including blood sugar levels already in the normal range and your body’s ability to utilize insulin properly.*
-
Immune health by helping to maintain a proper immune response.*
-
Already normal, healthy inflammatory response.*
In one study, omega-3 supplementation lasting eight weeks or longer resulted in an increase in 25(OH)D (vitamin D3) levels. The effects were greatest when vitamin D levels were low – below 20 ng/ml.*
Evidence suggests that omega-3s act on the enzymes that regulate vitamin D, thus helping you correct low levels in a shorter period of time.*
Keep in mind, if you discover your omega-3 index is very low (as it is with at least some of the population in the countries I mentioned, U.S. and Canada included), you may need more vitamin D than you can get from cod liver oil to correct your deficiency.
My first choice for vitamin D is always natural sunlight. However, I realize not everyone has access to optimal year-round sun exposure. Our Liposomal Vitamin D3 or Vitamin D3 Spray are outstanding alternatives for helping you raise your levels quickly.
Could the Pro-Resolving Mediators in Cod Liver Oil Help Put the Bounce Back into Your Step?
Remember when movement was effortless – and nothing could stop you from doing the things you loved? Those days may not be gone forever.
As we learned, one of the most exciting discoveries about cod liver oil to date is its naturally occurring PRMs. So, what do these PRMs do? They support your health at the cellular level by helping to…
-
Promote an environment where new healthy tissue can grow and thrive.*
-
Maintain a healthy balance between cytokine compounds released by your immune system.*
-
Encourage the cleanup of cellular debris to support your healthy cells.*
-
Recycle cells that no longer function properly.*
-
Maintain the delicate balance of signaling compounds in your body.*
When you consume cold water fish or take a fish oil supplement, small amounts of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA convert into PRMs.
However, for optimal health, your body requires more PRMs than omega-3 fats can provide. PRM precursors – such as 14-HDHA, 17-HDHA and 18-HEPE – are the preferred method to support your body’s ability to create more PRMs.
Introducing Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil with Natural Lemon Flavor
While I often recommend Krill Oil for the omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, another source that’s easy to take is Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil with Natural Lemon Flavor.
Just one teaspoon of this mild flavored oil with a light natural lemon flavor provides a total of 1,000 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids – 450 mg of EPA and 400 mg of DHA.
That’s not all. With our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil, you also receive:
-
45 mg of DPA, or docosapentaenoic acid
-
180 IU of Vitamin D (from Cod Liver Oil)
-
2,700 IU of Vitamin A (from Cod Liver Oil)
-
45 mcg of naturally occurring Pro-Resolving Mediators (including the preferred precursors 14-HDHA, 17-HDHA and 18-HEPE)
When it comes to any type of fish oil, freshness matters. Because cod liver oil doesn’t have enough naturally occurring antioxidants, they must be added to protect the oil from oxidation, or spoilage.
Some companies add synthetic antioxidants like BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), TBHQ (tert-butylhydroquinone) and propyl gallate.
We’re different. We use natural mixed tocopherols as a natural antioxidant in our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil to help protect the oil, so it stays fresh even after you open the bottle.
Also Available in Convenient Capsules
Don’t care for a spoonful of cod liver oil? While our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil with Natural Lemon Flavor is delightfully light and mild-flavored, some people still prefer capsules.
Our Wild Alaskan Cod Liver Oil capsules provide the same beneficial oil, only in convenient capsule form. With each 2-capsule dose, you receive a total of 280 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and…
-
130 mg of EPA
-
100 mg of DHA
-
13 mg of DPA
-
52 IU of Vitamin D (from Cod Liver Oil)
-
780 IU of Vitamin A (from Cod Liver Oil)
-
26 mcg of naturally occurring Pro-Resolving Mediators (including the preferred precursors 14-HDHA, 17-HDHA and 18-HEPE)
As a bonus, the oil inside the capsules also contains a touch of the same Organic Lemon Oil to help reduce any fishy smell.
Marine Stewardship Council – Protecting Oceans and Safeguarding Seafood Supplies
We’re proud to say that Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil liquid and capsules are sustainable from the inside out – and certified by The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
The fish used for our Alaskan Cod Liver Oil are sustainably line-caught to minimize environmental impact and bycatch, such as dolphins. Once caught, the livers from the cod are quickly frozen to prevent spoilage and to preserve nutrients.
All this takes place under the watchful eye of the MSC.
When a cod liver oil product receives MSC certification, you are guaranteed freshness and authenticity. Every batch can be traced to the time, date and location of the catch – and even the vessel – information you can only get with this unique type of certification.
The blue MSC label ensures the product came from a sustainable fishery that has met their Chain of Custody Standard certification.
Developed through consultation with the fishing industry, scientists, conservationists and experts, the standards meet international best practice guidelines for certification.
With MSC certification, you’re assured of quality all the way to the bottle. Every company that handles the product from harvesting to bottling or encapsulation:
-
Has been independently audited to make sure the MSC eco-label is only used on certified sustainable products.
-
Stores MSC-certified items separately.
-
Keeps effective records of MSC-certified products.
So, with our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil, you can be assured you’re doing your part in helping to protect our oceans and ensuring your children and grandchildren the same bounty you enjoy today.
Not All Cod Liver Oils Are the Same – The Difference Is in the Processing
Another major factor that sets our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil liquid and capsules apart from the competition is the processing. Our supplier’s quality control and manufacturing processes meet or exceed the most stringent industry standards – both domestic and international.
The cod for our Cod Liver Oil are sustainably line-caught in the deep, cold waters of the Bering Sea, and are processed locally in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Keep in mind, cod are not harvested for their livers. Rather, cod are a highly regarded culinary fish, and the liver is considered a waste product and is typically discarded.
From rigorous raw material selection (less than 5% of available material is considered suitable) to handling with extraordinary care and speed to prevent spoilage during production, our supplier takes extra measures every step of the way.
To ensure the purest and best quality, they use third-party batch testing to examine every single batch of cod liver oil for more than 250 environmental contaminants, including the following contaminants:
-
More than 100 pesticides
-
4 heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic/inorganic)
-
6 marker PCBs
-
17 PCD Dioxins and Furans
-
12 WHO PCB
No other supplier does this – competitors typically test only a few times a year for a limited number of contaminants.
Our supplier works towards manufacturing the product with minimum odor and superior taste, represented by the acronyms M.O.S.T. This is achieved through their highly selective raw material sourcing protocols and extensive proprietary refining steps.
3 Major Problems with Other Cod Liver Oil Products
You’ll find all kinds of claims about other cod liver oil products – all claiming to be the best. That said, there are three major problems with many cod liver oil products:
-
Harsh processing methods
-
Oxidation and spoilage
-
Adulteration with inexpensive fish oils
Oxidation and spoilage can occur when the fish are not processed immediately, leading to an unpleasant fishy tasting oil.
Most cod liver oils undergo intensive processing that may include one or more of the following: Refining to remove free fatty acids, bleaching, deodorization, molecular distillation, and the addition of synthetic and “natural” vitamins, artificial flavors and synthetic or highly processed antioxidants.
Certainly not the natural products they claim to be.
Common with cod liver oil products, molecular distillation requires boiling the oil to above 375 degrees to remove pesticides and toxic PCBs. Unfortunately, this harsh treatment also removes much of the vitamin and nutrient content and can damage the healthy fats.
So, with these products, vitamins A and D must be added back in. The vitamin D often comes from lanolin separated from wool fat, purified and radiated with ultraviolet B, or UVB light.
Here’s the problem with this… When added back in – whether from a natural or synthetic source – the ratio of vitamin A and vitamin D won’t be the same nor will the nutrients have the same synergistic effects found in natural cod liver oil.
Harsh processing methods tend to bring out a strong fishy taste. To cover up the strong odors, these oils require the heavy addition of flavors – typically synthetic flavors. As a result, molecularly processed oils tend to have a much stronger lemon or other flavor.
Our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil with Natural Lemon Flavor stands apart from the competition simply because our oil doesn’t undergo any of these harsh or inferior processes, especially molecular distillation.
The vitamin A and vitamin D in our Alaskan Cod Liver Oil liquid and capsules are naturally occurring from the cod liver. Therefore, you receive the ideal natural ratios and the synergistic effects from the cod liver oil.
And you’ll find that our Alaskan Cod Liver Oil is only lightly flavored with pure organic lemon oil, simply because we don’t need to cover up any strong fishy taste. Our Cod Liver Oil is light with a pleasant lemon flavor and a mild fish taste.
Be Aware: Some Cod Liver Oils May Be Adulterated with Cheaper Oils
Did you know that there is only one rule in the international production of cod liver oil – provided it isn’t MSC certified?
The final product must match the EPA/DHA ratio found in raw cod liver oil, which is about 9% EPA and 14% DHA, compared to regular fish oil, which contains approximately 18% EPA and 14% DHA. That’s it.
There is no rule requiring that cod liver oil must be 100% cod liver oil.
That means a cod liver oil product might contain other cheaper fish oils to boost EPA and DHA values to attain the required ratio. The oils can even come from another country. The oil is simply bottled and sold as Alaskan, Arctic or Norwegian cod liver oil.
And here’s another recently discovered issue with fish oils…
Consumers may be wasting billions of dollars on “synthetic” fish oil due to a chemical process that can leave a fish oil supplement lacking in essential omega-3 fatty acids. Certain fish oil supplements have been found to contain zero omega-3 fats.
That’s right. Not a single milligram of EPA or DHA.
The problem lies in the chemical process – trans-esterification – as it transforms the oil into a synthetic product that doesn’t exist in nature. The bottom line is, you can’t be too careful when buying any type of fish oil supplement.
Tap Into Your Ancestors’ Wisdom, and Order Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil Today
Although there’s absolutely no resemblance to the cod liver oil you might have been given as a child – or heard about from your parents – the concept hasn’t changed: cod liver oil does your body and brain good.*
Our Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil with Natural Lemon Flavor liquid and capsules take cod liver oil to a whole new level:
-
There’s no unpleasant fishy taste or smell due to meticulous harvesting and processing methods that preserves the freshness and quality of the fish and oil.
-
There’s no heavy oil feel in your mouth when you take the liquid oil by the spoonful – just a light-textured oil laced with a pleasing touch of organic lemon flavor.
-
All the nutrients and components are readily available for your body to absorb and put to work.
-
Our cod liver oil supplier ensures harmful contaminants are not a concern by monitoring levels of mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, pesticides, PCBs, dioxins and furans.
-
Because the oil is sustainable and MSC certified, you know you’re doing your part to help preserve the oceans for future generations.
Give a welcomed boost to your entire body, from head to toe, and order Wild Caught Alaskan Cod Liver Oil with Natural Lemon Flavor today in your choice of liquid or convenient capsules.