Did your parents or grandparents ever give you cod liver oil?

My friend Don still scrunches up his face like a repulsed little kid when he hears those three little words. You see, cod liver oil was a favorite home remedy of Don’s grandfather, along with equally child-repulsing things like buttermilk and stewed prunes.

Ironically, Don grew up to be a big believer in fish oil, primarily for its ability to prevent heart disease. In fact, grandparents of today—many of them baby boomers like Don—have helped push fish oil supplementation into the mainstream.

Not Your Grandfather’s Fish Oil

Some modern nutrition experts believe that cod liver oil’s high levels of Vitamin A may not be safe to consume on a daily basis. But all agree that fish oil made from the tissue (not the liver) of oily fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, and sardines is a health bonanza. Because fish oil contains high concentrations of two essential Omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, it has been called nature’s safest, most effective anti-inflammatory. And since inflammation has been found the root cause of many chronic diseases ranging from arthritis, heart disease, and cancer to asthma and mental depression, fish oil has taken center stage as a powerful ally in our quest to maintain health.

The good news is that fish oil producers have figured out wonderful ways to disguise the product’s strong taste. Liquid fish oil now comes flavored with essences of lemon, orange, strawberry, peach, and mint. You can also find liquid fish oil formulas with the consistency of milk shakes that come in exotic flavors: lemonade, mango peach, and piña colada.

For those who prefer fish oil softgels or capsules, many of them are flavored too (lemon, berry, orange) and some have enteric coatings designed not to dissolve and release the oil until the capsule reaches your small intestines. There are fruit-flavored fish oil gummies for children, eyedropper-dispensed fish oil formulas for infants, even softgels formulated for dogs and cats. And for those on the go: single-serving packets of effervescent fish oil drink mix. Just add water.

Quality is Key

In Grandpa’s day a person could get plenty of Omega 3 essential fatty acids simply by eating plenty of oily fish. Today that’s risky business, given the amount of mercury, PCBs, and other contaminants that have entered the world’s fish supply. That’s why health experts recommend choosing a fish oil supplement that is molecularly distilled, i.e., purified to remove contaminants. For guidance, check out the Environmental Defense Fund’s list of safe fish oil brands, based on self-reported compliance with stringent safety standards.

As for my friend Don, he has settled on a top-rated brand of molecularly distilled, tangy-orange-flavored liquid fish oil that he says goes down the hatch quite nicely—with little thought of the slippery, scaly sea life from whence it came.

-Paula Detwiller
AVP Staff Contributor