Fish Oil Vs. Cod Liver Oil?
Regarding sourcing of fish oil, important considerations are - where does a company source from and why, do they provide transparency around screening for toxins/heavy metals and do they disclose their nutrient content: for example vitamin A and D level content as well as other additives or excipients. Basically - not all products are created equal.
My understanding is there is a lot of rancid fish oil supplements on the market. I know that the essential Fatty acids found in fish (which are your Omega 3s) are fragile which is why it’s recommended to keep the cooking to minimal - rare to medium/rare at the most. So if this is true in our cooking, what is happening to fish oil supplements that are extracted with heat and other methods?
If we look at other fats/oils...living fats/oils are very sensitive to light, heat and oxygen (easily rancidify). Supermarket oils in clear plastic bottles under bright light and not refrigerated are NOT supporting health. How they are extracted, handled and PACKAGED does matter for the living oils/fats, and I think too for the supplement forms.
When I felt into this topic a while back, the more I sat with it the more the fish oil supplementation felt mislaligned for my body. I use muscle testing and other similar things, and my body routinely showed a need for more Omega 3 and 9, but rejected every single fish oil supplement we would test. It feels much better to me to focus on getting food sources of these omega's in and being mindful of where I am getting Omega 6's from, as to not blow out the healthy Omega ratio our body's need.
Rosita Cod Liver Oil, is what I personally use (from time to time, more in winter) and feel comfortable giving both my toddlers due to the companies processes...
"It is real Norwegian cod liver oil that is fresh, raw & handcrafted from wild livers using a very rare ancient extraction technique which uses nature to separate the oil from its liver. No chemicals, solvents and mechanical devices are ever used during the extraction process, and it is free of heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs, and other contaminants"
These results have been independtly verified too. I believe green pastures is also popular, and in the world I am in (functional nutrition) some love it and some are very opposed due to the argument that the fermentation is a step that takes the product further from its natural state. I cannot speak more to this as I am not using the product, but just sharing what I have heard - there is heaps online about it.
Here are some resources I found that might resonate
https://chriskresser.com/should-you-really-be-taking-fish-oil/
https://chriskresser.com/when-it-comes-to-fish-oil-more-is-not-better/
