A study reveals that cod liver oil isn’t as beneficial as we may believe. Our experts debunk some other common health myths. Generations of British children were subjected to it, each and every morning before breakfast.
Cod liver oil , slipped off a cold metallic tablespoon and down the throat, while holding the nose. It made the small recipients shudder – sometimes even gag – but it would also make them grow up big and strong. So they endured it.
But was it all for nothing? A new study, published in BMJ Medicine, has suddenly cast this traditional remedy into doubt. Which raises the question – if cod liver oil is not all it was cracked up to be, then what other old wives tales have we been swallowing? A spoonful of cod liver oil for the heart: False To understand the implications of this traditional remedy, you first need to understand the difference between cod liver oil and regulator fish oil , says Dr Neil Srinivasan, a heart rhythm specialist and an expert in the management of irregular heartbeats (also known as atrial fibrillation) on which this new study focuses. “Cod liver oil, as its name suggests, comes from the livers of codfish,” explains Dr Srinivasan.
Ordinary fish oil, on the other hand, is extracted from the tissue of oily fish like tuna, herring and mackerel. “They’re two different health supplements, from different fish sources and with unique benefits.” One thing they do have in common is that they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids .
