Cod Liver Oil vs Fish Oil A Comparison

Health Articles | March 15, 2010

Every person who has taken supplements for EPA and DHA use either fish oil or cod liver oil. First are the similarities: cod is a type of fish and thus will have the same ingredients and nutrients that people are taking fish oil for. Coming from the same source, cod liver oil has the same amount of these fatty acids. The difference, however, lies in the fact that the EPA and DHA were taken from the cod�s liver, where certain nutrients are stored, specifically Vitamin A and Vitamin D content.

Every person who has taken supplements for EPA and DHA use either fish oil or cod liver oil. However, not all people are knowledgeable about these two supplements and would not even know how to compare cod liver vs fish oil. For the sake of comparison, what are things that cod liver vs fish oil will show us?

First are the similarities: cod is a type of fish and thus will have the same ingredients and nutrients that people are�taking fish oil�for. These ingredients are the EPA and the DHA. Coming from the same source, cod liver oil has the same amount of these fatty acids. The difference, however, lies in the fact that the EPA and DHA were taken from the cod�s liver, which means that there are other things in there aside from these fatty acids since the liver is where certain nutrients are stored.

Specifically, cod liver oil has Vitamin A and Vitamin D content. In a way, it is a good thing: a body needs sufficient amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin D in order to stay healthy. Thus, we can be thankful that these nutrients can be found in cod liver Oil and not in fish oil. You could say that you are getting more than you pay for with cod liver oil because of these vitamins.

However, while that can be true in some cases, these vitamins may be dangerous to the body when taken in undesirable doses. It can be risky for pregnant women to take Vitamin A as too much can cause birth defects to the unborn baby.

It is not all that bad, however. While fish oil is ideal for pregnant women and other people at risk of vitamin A overdose,� Cod Liver Oil still has its uses. Since Vitamin D is taken from the sun, cod liver oil is very useful during the winter season where the sun is rarely aloft. Thus you can alternate between the fish oil supplements��and the cod liver oil during summer and winter, respectively.

Finally, irregardless of what you think about cod liver vs fish oil, it is important to ensure that what you are taking has sufficient amounts of EPA. Without EPA you will not be able to achieve your goals about taking in these supplements.