Oleum jecoris aselli Anhang
[Sally
Fallon/Mary G. Enig, PhD]
Once a
standard supplement in traditional European societies, cod liver oil provides
fat-soluble vitamins A and D, which Dr. Price found present in the diet of
primitives in amounts 10x higher than in modernized diets.
Cod liver
oil supplements are a must for women and their male partners, to be taken for
several months before conception, and for women during pregnancy. Growing
children will also benefit greatly from a small daily dose.
Cod liver
oil is also rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docasahexaenoic acid (DHA).
The body makes these fatty acids from omega-3 linolenic acid. EPA is as an
important link in the chain of fatty acids that ultimately results in
prostaglandins, localized tissue hormones while DHA is very important for the
proper function of the brain and nervous system. Those individuals who have
consumed large amounts of polyunsaturated oils (partially hydrogenated oils),
who are suffering from certain nutrient deficiencies, or who have impaired
pancreatic function, such as diabetics, may not be able to produce EPA and DHA
and will, therefore, lack important
prostaglandins
and necessary fats for the brain unless they consume oily fish or take a cod
liver oil supplement.
Buy cod
liver oil in dark bottles and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Please read
Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and Cod Liver Oil: Some Clarifications below for amounts
to give to adults and children and for recommended brands.
Cod liver
oil is easy to take when stirred into a small amount of water or fresh juice.
Dr. Price
always gave cod liver oil along with high-vitamin butter oil, extracted by
centrifuge from good quality spring or fall butter. He found that cod liver oil
on its own was relatively ineffective but combined with high
vitamin
butter oil produced excellent results. The butter oil contains what he called
Activator X, now considered to be vitamin K2, which works synergistically with
vitamins A and D (see Chris Masterjohn's article
"On
the Trail of the Elusive X Factor: A Sixty-Year Old Mystery Finally
Solved"). Your diet should include sources of vitamin K, such as good
quality butter from grass-fed cows+/o. high-vitamin butter oil, fat from
grass-fed animals, cheeses from grass-fed animals and duck or goose liver,
along with cod liver oil.
Vitamin A
Dosage
We have
pointed out that concerns about vitamin A toxicity are exaggerated. While some
forms of synthetic vitamin A found in supplements can be toxic at only
moderately high doses, fat-soluble vitamin A naturally found in foods like cod
liver oil, liver, and butterfat is safe at up to 10x the doses of
water-soluble, solidified and emulsified vitamin A found in some supplements
that produce toxicity. Additionally, the vitamin D found in cod liver
oil and
butterfat from pasture-raised animals protects against vitamin A toxicity, and
allows one to consume a much higher amount of vitamin A before it becomes
toxic. Liver from land mammals is high in vitamin A but
low in
vitamin D, and should therefore be consumed with other vitamin D-rich foods
such as lard or bacon from pasture-raised pigs, egg yolks, and oily fish, or
during months in which UV-B light is sufficient to provide
one with
adequate vitamin D.
As a
general guideline, we recommend the following doses of vitamin A from cod liver
oil, along with a nutrient-dense diet that contains other vitamin A-rich foods:
Children age 3 months to 12 years: A dose
of cod liver oil that provides about 5000 IU vitamin A daily, obtained from
about 1 teaspoon of regular cod liver oil or ½ teaspoon of high-vitamin cod
liver oil.
Children over 12 years and adults: A
maintenance dose of cod liver oil that provides about 10,000 IU vitamin A
daily, obtained from 2 teaspoons of regular cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon of
high-vitamin cod liver oil.
Pregnant and nursing women: A dose of cod
liver oil that provides about 20,000 IU vitamin A daily, obtained from 4
teaspoons regular cod liver oil or 2 teaspoons high-vitamin cod liver oil.
Please note
that these recommended doses are 2 – 5x greater than the U.S. RDA for children,
4x greater than the U.S. RDA for adults and 8x greater than the U.S. RDA for
pregnant women. The RDA values are based
on studies
conducted in the general population, which is now recognized to be largely
deficient in vitamin D. For a discussion of studies showing that vitamin A
consumption up to 30,000 IU per day by pregnant women does
not result
in a greater risk of birth defects, see Vitamin A for foetal development. This
article also describes the vital role played by vitamin A in the development of
the foetus. Pregnant women may wish to consult their health practitioner about
taking cod liver oil during pregnancy.
Individuals
under stress or wishing to use cod liver oil to treat a disease condition may
take much larger doses, even up to doses providing 90,000 IU vitamin A daily,
for a period of several weeks.
Vitamin D
Dosage
Our
recommended brands of cod liver oil (see below) will provide with the above
recommended dosages for cod liver oil about 500-1000 IU vitamin D for children,
1000-2000 IU vitamin D for adults,
2000-4000
IU vitamin D for pregnant and nursing women and up to 9000-18,000 IU for those
taking large amounts of cod liver oil to deal with stress and disease.
In 1997,
the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine set the tolerable
upper intake level (TUIL) for vitamin D at 2000 IU per day. However, the
vitamin D content experts on the Upper Limits Panel objected
to this limit,
and several prominent vitamin D researchers have called for an upward revision
of the limit. Experiments show that even during the winter with a low vitamin D
intake, humans will exhaust stores of vitamin D
at a rate
of 3000-4000 IU per day, an amount that many people require to maintain optimal
levels of the vitamin in the blood. Extensive exposure to summer sun at mid
latitudes naturally produces levels of vitamin D in the
blood
equivalent to what is attained by supplementing with a continued daily dose of
10,000 IU, suggesting humans are designed to tolerate such large amounts of
vitamin D.(4)
If you are
a lifeguard or spend a lot of time in the sun, you do not need to take
supplemental vitamin D; however you still need to consume adequate vitamin A.
Animal studies show that even moderate amounts of vitamin D increase the body's
need for vitamin A, whether the vitamin D is provided in the diet or by UV
light (2,5). So, if you cut back or eliminate cod liver oil in the summer, be
sure to consume plenty of oily fish, liver, butterfat and
egg yolks
from grass-fed hens to ensure adequate vitamin A.
For a
discussion of Vitamin D Toxicity, see
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitaminDToxicity.shtml
This does
not mean we do not recommend that some individuals have their vitamin D levels
tested. Such testing can be very useful in determining vitamin D status and the
effectiveness of cod liver oil or vitamin D
supplements.
Optimal serum vitamin D levels should be in the range of 30-50 ng/mL (see
discussion at [link "Potential Dangers of Vitamin D, page 24 of Spring
2009]).
Brand
Recommendations - Updated 2012
Most brands
of cod liver oil go through a process that removes all of the natural vitamins.
The resultant product contains very low levels of vitamin A and virtually no
vitamin D. Some manufacturers add manufactured vitamins
A and D to
the purified cod liver oil and until recently, one manufacturer added the
natural vitamins removed during processing back into the cod liver oil. Fortunately,
we now have available in the U.S. a naturally produced, unheated, fermented
high-vitamin cod liver oil that is made using a filtering process that retains
the natural vitamins.
The
high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil is sold as a food so does not contain
vitamin levels on the label. However, after numerous tests, the approximate
values of A and D have been ascertained at 1900 IU vitamin A per mL
and 390 IU
vitamin D per mL. Thus 1 teaspoon of high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil
contains 9500 IU vitamin A and 1950 IU vitamin D, a ratio of about 5:1.
Based on
these values, the dosage for the high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil is
provided as follows:
Children age 3 months to 12 years: 1/2
teaspoon or 2.5 mL, providing 4650 IU vitamin A and 975 IU vitamin D.
Children over 12 years and adults: 1
teaspoon or 10 capsules, providing 9500 IU vitamin A and 1950 IU vitamin D.
Pregnant and nursing women: 2 teaspoons or
20 capsules, providing 19,000 IU vitamin A and 3900 IU vitamin D.
Please note
that the fermented cod liver oil contains many co-factors that may enhance the
body's uptake and usage of vitamins A and D; in fact, many have reported
results equivalent to those obtained from high-vitamin cod
liver oil
with half the recommended dose, that is ¼ teaspoon or 1.25 mL for children age
3 months to 12 years; ½ teaspoon or 5 capsules for children over 12 years and
adults; and 1 teaspoon or 10 capsules for pregnant and
nursing
women.
As of
Spring, 2009, we recommend the following brands of cod liver oil. Sources of
high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil and high-vitamin cod liver oil with
natural vitamins added are in the BEST category; sources of
processed
cod liver oil with synthetic vitamins in the right proportions are in the GOOD
category. We do not recommend brands of cod liver oil that have only low levels
of vitamins A and D.
In Europe
BEST:
Natural Food Finder:
naturalfoodfinder.co.uk/products carries Blue Ice High-Vitamin Fermented Cod
Liver Oil, biokult, raw honey, coconut oil, high vitamin butter oil
Red23: red23.co.uk carries Blue Ice
High-Vitamin Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Q Naturals Webstore - Blue Ice Fermented
Cod Liver and High Vitamin Butter Oil www.qnaturals.nl
GOOD:
Healthspan Ltd., 0800 73 123 77,
healthspan.co.uk
Goldshield, goldshield.co.uk
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum