Therapeutic Uses
Cod liver oil is widely taken to ease the pain and joint stiffness associated with arthritis. It may have a positive effect on heart, bone, as well as helping to repair wounded skin, hair, nails, and teeth.
Cod liver oil and fish oil are similar, but cod liver oil has higher levels of vitamins A and D. People consuming cod liver oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids should pay attention to how much vitamin A and vitamin D this adds to their diet.
Cod liver oil may be an effective complementary measure for long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Use of cod liver oil during pregnancy is associated with lower risk of Type I diabetes in the offspring. (although see adverse effects below). This effect was found only in mothers taking cod liver oil, not in mothers taking multivitamin supplements. Cod liver oil taken by nursing mothers improves the breast milk by increasing the amount of fatty acids, which promotes brain development, and the amount of vitamin A, which helps prevent infections, but the level of vitamin D is unchanged.
A Norwegian study of more than 68,000 women reported that female cancer patients who took daily cod-liver oil supplements had significantly reduced mortality (25% for all cancers, 45% for lung cancer) compared to women who did not take such supplements.
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Famous quotes containing the word therapeutic:
“As a science of the unconscious it is a therapeutic method, in the grand style, a method overarching the individual case. Call this, if you choose, a poet’s utopia.”
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955)