Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

I believe that this is the best fermented cod liver oil available online today. There is a lot of information available on cod liver oil and health benefits, but also quite a bit of concern about Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and mercury content. When you compare fish oil and cod liver oil, at a high level, the difference is that fish oil comes from the body of the fish, whereas cod liver oil comes from the liver, and the liver contains higher levels of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and toxins.

(Click here to purchase fermented cod liver oil)

Before directly addressing the claim, we need to look at how cod liver oil is made today. Generally, cod liver oil is produced in a modern, industrial manner. That includes alkalization, bleaching, de-oderization, and so on. Vitamins are actually removed during this process, and then depending on the manufacturer, either synthetic vitamins of A and D are added back in ratio (again depending on the manufacturer), or the natural vitamins that were removed during the process are added back.

Mr. David Wetzel, owner of Blue Ice, knew that based on typical practices, manufacturers would generally move to cheaper practices at the expense of natural, unprocessed cod liver oil. He writes, “With only one factory still engaging in the relatively expensive process of adding natural vitamins back into processed cod liver oil, it was easy to see the handwriting on the wall. The odds that this factory would soon fall in with the others and start adding synthetic vitamins instead of natural ones were great.”

The question became, can we have an unprocessed form of cod liver oil, with natural vitamins, in their natural forms and ratios? Thus began a move back to traditional manufacturing methods for cod liver oil, which involves storing the cod livers in barrels, and is detailed in the book “Cod liver oil and Chemistry” (available on Google books).

Mr. Wetzel describes his manufacturing process here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/09/dave-wetzel-fermented-cod-liver-oil.html

The result is an oil which is unprocessed, and contains natural vitamins in natural ratios. The heavy metal levels are “not detectable” and the PCBs meet WHO .090 ppm standards, the limit to which these compounds can be measured.

Now let’s move to the vitamin issue…what about eating Vitamin A and Vitamin D in such “large quantities”? At this point in the article, we are going to move into a science debate, which I am not qualified to lead. My understanding is that you need Vitamin D and Vitamin A in the appropriate ratio. I believe that is a generally agreeable statement. I also prefer whole food supplements. I would rather get my vitamins from vegetables, fruits, eggs, etc… in a natural form rather than manufactured in a lab. I also respect tradition. I believe tradition is sometimes wrongly ignored, or put down. Yes, our forefathers did not have access to modern laboratories, but they have hundreds of years of empirical evidence. I believe “old is gold.”

The science debate (in favor of cod liver oil) is here: http://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/1603-response-to-dr-mercola-on-cod-liver-oil.html

Now going back to the key point: as long as you take a natural ratio of the vitamins, I believe you are fine. Where can you get a natural ratio? Yes, from unprocessed fermented cod liver oil.

Note: Dr. Weston Price, a great proponent of cod liver oil, liked to give his patients a combination of high vitamin butter with fermented cod liver oil. His claim was that the two worked synergistically (i.e. they worked better in combination). That’s the oil that I ordered, and that’s the one I recommend. You can obtain the oil by clicking here.

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I really love this fish oil and their “philosophy” – that nature knows best. This dosage is 3/4 tsp, and note that the total omega 3 is 600 mg per serving. Note that this is up to three times less than other fish oil brands, but this is not muscularly distilled – this is straight from the fish into the bottle. This is direct from the pristine waters of Bristol Bay in Alaska. This is the only fish oil supplement to carry the Marine Stewardship Council endorsement. This fish oil also contains astaxanthin, a natural carotenoid that gives this fish oil its rich orange color—”and is up
to 100 times more potent than Vitamin E at quenching singlet oxygen ‘free radicals’.”

The fish oil is deep chilled, filtered, and then encapsulated (or put in a bottle) and retains 32 distinct fatty acid types. These are listed below. Here’s a link to Vital Choice Liquid Fish Oil.

Here’s a link to the PDF for better formatting.

“I believe there are probably dozens of unidentified fatty acids in salmon that play a crucial role in
optimum health and the deceleration of the aging process.”
–N. V. Perricone, M.D., The Perricone Prescription
VITAL CHOICE COMPOSITE SOCKEYE SALMON OIL ANALYSIS:
Fatty Acid Profile (methods AOAC 969.33, 963.22 & 991.39)
Component Name Carbon Chain Pct Mg Om-3* Om-6 Om-7 Om-9 Other
Myristic Acid C14:0 4.9 49 4.9
Trans Myristelaidic Acid C14:1 0.3 3 0.3
Myristoleic Acid C14:1w5 0.2 2 0.2
Pentadecanoic Acid C15:0 0.6 6 0.6
Pentadecenoic Acid C15:1 0.1 1 0.1
Palmitic Acid¹ C16:0 18.5 185 18.5
Trans Palmitelaidic Acid C16:1t 0.8 8 0.8
Palmitoleic Acid C16:1w7 5.4 54 5.4
Hexadecadienoic Acid C16:2 0.6 6 0.6
Hexadecatrienoic Acid C16:3 0.3 3 0.3
Hexadecatetraenoic Acid C16:4 0.9 9 0.9
Heptadecanoic Acid C17:0 0.7 7 0.7
Heptadecenoic Acid C17:1w7 0.2 2 0.2
Stearic Acid C18:0 2.4 24 2.4
Oleic Acid² C18:1w9 22.9 229 22.9
Trans Elaidic Acid C18:1t 0.2 2 0.2
Linoleic Acid C18:2w6 1.5 15 1.5
Trans Linolelaidic Acid C18:2t 1.5 15 1.5
Gamma-Linolenic Acid C18:3w6 0.2 2 0.2
Linolenic Acid C18:3w3 0.9 9 0.9
Octadecatetraenoic Acid C18:4w3 5.9 59 5.9
Arachidic Acid C20:0 0.1 1 0.1
Eicosenoic Acid C20:1w9 0.1 1 0.1
Eicosadienoic Acid C20:2w6 2.5 25 2.5
Eicosatrienoic Acid C20:3w3 1.9 19 1.9
Hommogamma Linoleic Acid C20:3w6 1.3 13 1.3
Arachidonic Acid³ C20:4w6 4.8 48 4.8
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) C20:5w3 8.9 89 8.9
Behenic Acid C22:0 0.7 7 0.7
Erucic Acid C22:1w9 0.3 3 0.3
Docosanoic Acid C22:1w11 1.3 13 1.3
Docosapentaenoic Acid (DPA) C22:5w3 1.8 18 1.8
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) C22:6w3 7.0 70 7.0
Nervonic Acid C24:1w9 0.3 3 0.3
Total 100.00 1000 26.40 10.30 5.60 23.60 34.10
* Omega totals are percentages
¹ Palmitic acid is a major fatty acid present in meat and dairy products
² Oleic acid is the major fatty acid in olive and conola oils
³ Arachidonic acid is an essential fatty acid used to synthesize regulatory molecules such as prostaglandins and
thromboxanes; a component of cell membranes released on their injury

Find out more at the manufacturer site: Vital Choice Liquid Fish Oil.

Nutrition Facts Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Oil – 8 fluid oz Serving Size 3/4 tsp

Amount Per Serving

Calories 30 Calories from Fat 30

% Daily Value* Total Fat 3g 5% Saturated Fat 0.5g 3% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 30mg 10% Sodium 0g Total Carbohydrate 0g Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 0g Protein 0g

• Omega-3s 600mg (no Daily Value established: EPA 240mg / DHA 220mg) • Vitamin A 2060 IU (40% of Daily Value*) • Vitamin D 340 IU (85% of Daily Value*)

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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