Cod Liver Oil: Benefits, Science and Debate
Science Validates the Benefits of Our Number One Superfood Article Summary Mankind has consumed marine liver oils for thousands of years and cod liver oil for at least hundreds of years. Several trials conducted before 1940 found that the vitamin A in cod liver oil had powerful anti-infective power, which popularized the oil as a prophylactic and led to its use as a treatment against puerperal fever, measles, and industrial absenteeism. Vitamins A and D cooperate with one another. They are not antagonists, but large doses of one may cause harm when not accompanied by the other. There is no evidence that vitamin A increases mortality. Over a quarter of Americans consume less than half the RDA of vitamin A, which is 3,000 IU per day for adult males. Price’s tooth decay reversal program would have provided over 10,000 IU per day. Sub-optimal intakes of vitamin A may be related to asthma, kidney stones, fatty liver disease, oxidative stress, and susceptibility to environmental toxins. Duri...