Page 39 - Spring2009

oil is a new, highly processed food, how did it get into those English sew- to the meta-analysis rather than the individual
ers hundreds of years ago? How could it have been manufactured before studies, Cannell was able to avoid mentioning
it was even discovered? the fact that the two small studies offered no
useful information about the effect of vitamin
PRIMARY JUSTIFICATION FOR WHY YOU SHOULD A on mortality.
AVOID COD LIVER OIL The other study showed that unlike third
There have been two recent meta-analyses done. The first one showed world countries where vitamin A supplementa-
that people who took vitamin A supplements in cod liver oil, or in supple- tion appears to decrease infections, vitamin A
ments, had an 18 percent increase in death rates. supplementation in developed countries like the
Mercola is referring to a meta-analysis by Bjelakovic and others U.S. actually increases infections.
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2007 Feb The researchers believe this is due to massive
28;297(8):842-57), cited in the Cannell study and discussed in depth on nutritional deficiencies in the third world because
page 23. This analysis looked at selected randomized trials involving adults most of their calories are from grains and they
given beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium. By simply don’t have an opportunity to consume as
manipulating the data in a certain way, the researchers claimed they found many fresh fruits, vegetables, butter, eggs and
an association with supplement consumption, including vitamin A consump- other vitamin A-containing foods that those in
tion, and increased mortality. Actually, only two of the studies included in the developed world do.
the meta-analysis involved vitamin A given alone, neither of which even In fact current research could not find any
mentioned cod liver oil. Both were small studies and in neither did the vitamin A deficiency at all, but approximately 5
authors claim that vitamin A had any effect on mortality. By referring percent had vitamin A toxicity. The converse is

A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE EFFECTS OF COD LIVER OIL ON VITAMIN D LEVELS

Nineteen volunteers had their vitamin D levels tested using the home blood test from ZRT Laboratories and reported
their vitamin D levels, cod liver oil usage and vitamin D supplementation to the Weston A. Price Foundation. The results
are shown below. All volunteers are from northern latitudes and none reported recent sun exposure.

A/D FROM
VIT D LEVEL COD LIVER OIL CLO TYPE VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENT DURATION

23 none None 0 NA
32 6000/600 Fermented 0 12 mo
34 857/107 Carlsons 1000 mg capsules 2000 3 mo
34 10000/1000 High-Vitamin 0 48 mo
37 10000/1000 High-Vitamin 50,000 IU x 2, before onset of a cold 15 mo
39 2500/250 High-Vitamin 0 60 mo
39 20000/2000 High-Vitamin 0 30 mo
40 800/80 High-Vitamin 0 60 mo
40 6000/600 Fermented 0 12 mo
41 2000/200 Fermented 6000 24 mo
44 10000/1000 High-Vitamin 50,000 IU x 3 before onset of a cold 15 mo
45 2500/250 High-Vitamin 0 60 mo
45 10000/1000 High-Vitamin 0 36 mo
49 17500/1750 High-Vitamin 0 36 mo
53 12000/1200 Fermented 0 36 mo
57 12000/1200 Fermented 0 24 mo
62 20000/2000 High-Vitamin 5000 36 mo
63 20000/2000 High-Vitamin 5000 36 mo
77 5000/500 High-Vitamin 0 60 mo

While these results are merely preliminary, a tentative conclusion is that consumption of cod liver oil containing vitamin
A does not interfere with the assimilation of vitamin D. Of the twelve individuals who had vitamin D levels of 40 or above,
eight took cod liver oil alone, with no supplemental vitamin D. More carefully controlled studies are needed to provide
definitive confirmation of this hypothesis.

SPRING 2009 Wise Traditions 37