Speak to physician regarding fish allergy

July 28, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am allergic to freshwater and saltwater fish (the oil, I believe). I am wondering if I would be able to take cod liver in capsule form.

DEAR READER: Cod-liver oil can cause GI upset, indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rash and a number of other unwanted symptoms in anyone. Because you are allergic to fish, you should avoid fish-oil supplements.

Speak with your physician regarding the possibility of taking flaxseed, grape seed or eating more green, leafy vegetables and nuts such as sunflowers or walnuts as a replacement for cod-liver oil. I must defer to your primary-care physician, who knows your medical history and can guide you better than I.

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Cod-liver oil benefits outweigh risks for most

July 27, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: You recently wrote about the benefits of cod-liver oil. Is there a downside? Are there likely to be significant quantities of heavy metals or other toxic substances concentrated in cods’ livers?

DEAR READER: Generally speaking, cod-liver oil is safe for most people. It can, however, result in belching, heartburn, halitosis and nosebleeds in some users when taken on an empty stomach. When taken with meals, these unwanted symptoms are vastly reduced.

High doses of the supplement may be unsafe in that they can keep blood from clotting, may increase the chance of bleeding, cause loose stools and nausea, and cause blood pressure to drop to dangerously low levels. [Read more...]

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Touting the virtues of cod-liver oil

June 19, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a fairly young man of 90 years. I was born in Norway in 1919 and similar to most Norwegians ate a lot of fish. A few of us might take cod-liver oil as a supplement, but in view of the general Norwegian diet, it might be less important.

When I arrived in this country at the age of 28, I started taking cod-liver oil regularly with breakfast every single day. When a nephew of mine from Norway visited some time ago, I asked him what he thought of the value of cod-liver oil. Arthritis was his specialty, and he thought it was useful against rheumatoid problems. He said it works painlessly, almost like oiling a joint.
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