Cod Liver Oil

Cod liver oil is extracted from the liver of the cod fish, and is one of the fish oils produced commercially. Cod liver oil has a long history as a popular folk medicine among Scottish and Nordic fishermen, and in the 18th centuary scientific research endorsed its reputation it became an established medical treatment for illnesses linked to malnutrition, and by the 20th centuary it was a recognised cure for rickets due to vitamin D deficiency. The health benefits of its Vitamin A and Vitamin D content were so widely recognised that it was given free to pregnant and nursing mothers, and children up to five years old during the Second World War. The Seven Seas brand dominated the market at this time.

Cod liver oil declined in popularity after the end of the war as newer multivitamin and mineral products offered a more balanced vitamin combination.

The discovery of omega-3 fatty acids in the 1970 showed a boost in cod liver oil's popularity, when it was realised that its health properties were not limited to its vitamin A and D content as had previously been thought, but that it was an excellent source of the new omega-3 fatty acids which were good for heart health and other degenerative conditions.

Other fish oils were then produced without the Vitamin A and D content. These new fish oils were produced from the flesh of oily fish, rather than the liver, because it was realised that the dose of omega-3 fatty acid you could take using cod liver oil was limited by the fact that Vitamin A and D were poisonous if you took too much of them.

Other cod liver oil formulations folowed, with the Seven Seas brand continuing its market leadership by producing formulations with a higher omega-3 content, and by combining cod liver oil with other ingredients such as glucosamine and chondroitin for joint pain and arthritis.