[Closed] cod liver oil or omega fish oil?

do we take cod liver oil for the final omega quantity or is it all about the cod liver oil?

You're taking it and you don't know why?

fair point! 😆

what i'm trying to say is - is it ultimately the omega 3 in cod liver oil that's the good stuff?

What I'm trying to say is, if you're taking a supplement because you're deficient in something, then what's 'good' depends entirely what you're deficient in.

If you're not deficient in something, why waste money on supplements?

The 'good stuff' in cod liver oil presumably includes vitamin D; it was given to kids when my gran was little to prevent rickets. You could get the same effect by going outside occasionally.

I'm happy to take either for my borked knees.

For Cougar - it's the placebo effect I'm looking for. For I've been assured it doesn't have any benefit.

I think that there is evidence are that it is good for joints and brains, but I'm not sure that it's conclusive. As usual there is some good stuff on wikipedia [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_oil ]here[/url]

You could get the same effect by going outside occasionally

you would think so wouldnt you, however this far north (uk) the sun is rarely strong enough to stimulate the production of VitD. As a result of this/diet/playstation gen the number of young adults who are VitD deficient is on the rise. Mostly this is not apparent, however it is required for calcium absorbtion/use, so when a malnourished playstation gen 'lives at night' teenager, breaks a bone, the healing process can be significantly impaired.

still i cant tell you why you need it, or if Omega fish oil is and different to CLO. My cynical side says that COL is more expensive as its a recognised 'name'

You could get the same effect by going outside occasionally.

Actually you have to go outside a fair bit. Very common to have low Vitamin D these days as folks don't generally eat a lot of oily fish, most people work indoors and on the sunniest days when they do go outside they wear suncream.

it was given to kids when my gran was little to prevent rickets.

[url= http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-D.aspx ]Still a recommended supplement for all kids under 5.[/url]

I'm happy to take either for my borked knees.

Supposed to be good for arthritis, 's why I was asking (badly and in a roundabout way) why the OP was taking it. Dunno how true that actually is without looking it up.

this far north (uk) the sun is rarely strong enough to stimulate the production of VitD. As a result of this/diet/playstation gen the number of young adults who are VitD deficient is on the rise

Ah, interesting, I didn't know that; I knew that there were issues due to overzealous sunblock usage though.

you would think so wouldnt you, however this far north (uk) the sun is rarely strong enough to stimulate the production of VitD

That's not what I heard. [url= http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/12december/pages/sunlight-exposure-and-vitamin-d-advice.aspx ]The NHS reports[/url] that only 10-15 minutes in the middle of day without sunscreen a few times a week should be required during the summer, and that in the middle of winter no UVB gets through anyway so we have to rely on stores.

So I disagree with 'rarely' - only in winter are we unable to generate any.

I think the CLO bit is snake oil, its the Omega's that are important. Conversely my big jar of CLO promotes the amount of Omega's in it. Alternatively you could take flaxseed oil supplements.

Interestingly it's also now thought that Omega 3 fatty acids also reduce skin damage from the sun in the first place. So it's pretty much a double win.

"Alternatively you could take flaxseed oil supplements."
Don't bother - the omega fatty acids in flaxseed oil (alpha-linolenic acid) need to get through the rate-limiting delta-6 desaturase step before conversion to the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA.

i was with you right up till 'bother'

So not all Omega's are created equal, therefore the CLO might be worth paying the extra for?

Not the same thing, surely...?

Cod liver oil isn't a brand, it is a specific product, which contains omega 3 fatty acids.

Presumably, any oil from an oily type fish could be bottled and sold as omega 3 oil - need not be from a specific fish species or be a liver derived oil. IIRC mackerel, sardines etc all high in omega 3, irrespective of whether you eat the liver or not...

it was given to kids when my gran was little to prevent rickets. You could get the same effect by going outside occasionally.

Omega fish oil is sourced from the whole fish, and is often a mix of species, where as CLO is just that. Omega-3 fish oils are often dosed with omega-3 esters to up the EPA/DHA levels and depending on the brand some standard edible oils in there. Most CLO is also filtered to try and remove the PCBs from it.

Most CLO is also filtered to try and remove the PCBs from it.

Please corroborate...?

Radical idea I know, but do you eat fish?

Radical idea I know, but do you eat fish?

Would need to be oily fish though... Cod and chips isn't going to do the trick

True. But again, what 'trick' do we actually require it to do?

I don't think I've ever eaten fish in my life, oily otherwise, and I've managed to metabolise just fine for 40 years without needing supplementary oils.

An alternative would be Krill Oil. It has higher levels of Omega-3

I've managed to metabolise just fine for 40 years without needing supplementary oils.

you could have been an athlete!

I could have been a CONTENDER!!

The NHS reports that only 10-15 minutes in the middle of day without sunscreen a few times a week should be required during the summer

Actually it doesn't. It just says some newspapers had reported that figure.

The the actual report (issued by British health organisaions, not the NHS) deliberately avoided giving a specific period of time because it varies.

From your link:

The statement does not specify exactly how long people should aim to be in the sun for. This is because the time required to make sufficient vitamin D varies according to a number of environmental, physical and personal factors and may vary between individuals. The authors say that [b]the time required is "typically short and less than the time needed to redden or burn"[/b].
...
The report quotes data from a study in which caucasian British people were given a dose of simulated sunlight equivalent to midday summer sun for 13 minutes, three times a week for six weeks during the winter months. The participants were dressed in typical summer clothes that revealed a third of their skin. This raised vitamin D blood levels to more than 50nmol/L in 90% of people, and to more than 70nmol/L in 26% of people.

This study appears to be the basis for the recommendation of 10-15 minutes midday summer sun quoted by the newspapers. It is important to point out that the report did not actually specify a recommended time that people should spend in the sun again highlighting that the time required may vary dependent on clothing, the amount of shade, how much time people typically spent outside and so on.

True. But again, what 'trick' do we actually require it to do?

I don't think I've ever eaten fish in my life, oily otherwise, and I've managed to metabolise just fine for 40 years without needing supplementary oils.

Low Vitamin D is linked to various nasty things including MS - hence (possibly) the high rates of MS in Scotland.

I don't think I've ever eaten fish in my life, oily otherwise, and I've managed to metabolise just fine for 40 years without needing supplementary oils.

youre dooomed

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Most CLO is also filtered to try and remove the PCBs from it.
Please corroborate...?

I spent 2 years doing PCB testing on various fish oil products. Most Cod liver oil is filtered using fine charcoal during the refinement process.

Actually it doesn't. It just says some newspapers had reported that figure

It does REPORT it ie say what others have said. But thanks for quoting from the article I linked to 🙂

EPA? PCB? and while you are at it DHA?

before i google them and go off on a complete tangent

It does REPORT it ie say what others have said.

Okay. It's just when you said [i]"The NHS reports that only 10-15 minutes in the middle of day without sunscreen a few times a week should be required during the summer"[/i]

That read (to me) like you were saying that was the current NHS advice.

Perhaps you should have said [i]"The NHS reports [b]that some newspapers have misreported [/b] that only 10-15 minutes in the middle of day without sunscreen a few times a week should be required during the summer[b], when in fact no such figure was offered in the paper they are describing[/b]"[/i]

That would have been clearer 😉

I was recommended omega 3 supplements by a nutritionist friend and he said for the volumes of omega 3 you need to have any decent effect on your joints, the vitamin D in the cod liver oil gets to poisonous levels. He said to take fish oil if you only require omega 3 for joints and cod liver oil if you only require vitamin D.

i just ignored it GrahamS, typical pointless hair splitting

Eicosapentaenoic Acid (essential fatty acid - EFA)
Docosahexaenoic Acid (omega 3 fatty acid)

drawing a blank on PCB due to the number of options that i dont understand

PCB = polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds, which are toxic and carcinogenic. The nasty thing about them is that they accumulate in the fatty tissues and the higher the food chain the more you get exposed. They are now banned, but they are very stable so don't degrade that well.

Assuming you eat fish, you'd be better off with a can of sardines on toast a couple of times a week.
Highest omega 3 levels, plenty of vitamin D, most of your B vitamins, Minerals - Iron, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, more calcium than milk, high in protein and prety much the lowest toxin levels of all commercial fish.
Cheap too.

Shame they are vile 😀

Sorry, missed out vitamins A, E, and K too.

Tinned sardines - high protein / low cost lunch of choice 😀

misreported

I have no idea if they'd misreported it or not. I'm not going to do my own critical evaluation of papers to which I do not have access to back up someone else's report to which I might link on STW. Dear me.

I have no idea if they'd misreported it or not.

Maybe you should have read the article you linked to then?

Pretty much the entire article was about what the papers had reported versus what the "Consensus vitamin D position statement" really said.

They even have links at the bottom to the newspaper headlines and the original report.

So have we decided whats best yet?

chamley - Member
I was recommended omega 3 supplements..... for the volumes of omega 3 you need to have any decent effect on your joints, the vitamin D in the cod liver oil gets to poisonous levels........ take fish oil if you only require omega 3 for joints and cod liver oil if you only require vitamin D.