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| Because cod liver oil contains large amounts of vitamin D, it cured rickets and made a great contribution to public health. The most important omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are called EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Another method is to remove all the oxygen from the capsule. These effects, as well as others, may explain many of fish oil's apparent benefits. Various essential fatty acids, including fish oil, flaxseed oil, and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), are widely recommended for dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain), and two studies suggest that fish oil may indeed be effective. Preliminary double-blind trials suggest that EPA, but not DHA, might be helpful for schizophrenia. Evidence is mixed on whether fish oil can help prevent flare-ups of Crohn's disease, a condition in which parts of the digestive tract are highly inflamed. Small double-blind trials suggest that fish oil might be helpful for reducing symptoms of ulcerative colitis. However, another small double-blind placebo-controlled trial found no such benefit. Larger studies will be necessary to discover for certain whether fish oil helps or not. Interesting, but highly preliminary, evidence suggests that fish oil, or its constituents, might be helpful for treating depression, preventing premature birth, improving vision in premature babies, treating kidney stones, alleviating the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, and reducing the risk of prostate cancer. Fish oil has also been proposed as a treatment for many other conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, allergies, gout, and migraine headaches, but there has been little real scientific investigation of these uses. Some, but not all, studies suggest that fish oil and GLA taken along with calcium may be helpful in preventing osteoporosis. In one study, participants ingested 60gm daily. Cod liver oil contains high concentrations of vitamin A. Taking cod liver oil in the same amounts that are recommended for fish oil can be toxic, and even more so in people who have chronic renal failure (because vitamin A can build up to toxic levels). |
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