What's the difference

[lisa1014]

What is the difference between cod liver oil and fish oil and which one is the best to take?

I get so confused when it comes to all this vitamins and suplements.

[knuckle]

None really, they are both oil from fish and it is more important that you buy a quality product free of mercury.

You're taking oil from fish for myelin sheath health so you may also want to consider taking soy lecithin, or better yet, choline citrate, which are also good for your myelin.

[Mynamegoeshere1]

?

Knuckle,

would it be beneficial to take all of these or should you just take one or the other?

[Redwings]

There seems to be a consensus among various articles online about the differences between the two oils. None of the various articles I've read are on reputable medical/scientific websites, but there's enough agreement that there might actually be some truth in what they say. The gist is:

Cod liver oil, as the name implies, comes from the livers of fish. Fish oil comes from the flesh. Both contain the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, but the ratios between them are different for the two oils. In addition, fish oil is said to have up to twice the content of EPA and DHA as cod liver oil.

Cod liver oil contains vitamins A and D, which are stored in the livers of fish as well as humans. So for people who take a lot of cod liver oil or add cod liver oil to a multivitamin, it's possible to overdose on those vitamins. That might not be a problem with vitamin D, since higher intakes are recommended for folks with MS. But a large intake of vitamin A has no real benefits and can be harmful. So any points gained in vitamin D intake might be lost by vitamin A intake.

If this is all true and a person wants to use a fish-derived oil as a EPA/DHA supplement, fish oil is superior by virtue of higher content. Fish oil also appears to be a better choice if vitamins A and D are being derived from food and other supplements. As always, oils should be of high quality and as free of contaminants as possible. As knuckle pointed out, mercury is of particular concern in fish.

[knuckle]

I take Soy Lecithin, and something called Alpha GPC every day.

Alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine is basically a more bio-available form of Choline Citrate in that it crosses the blood brain barrier. If you do a little research on Alpha GPC you'll find that it benefits cognition, which many MSers often struggle with.

Research on Soy Lecithin lead me to Choline Citrate where I found this study:

The effectiveness of choline citrate infusions monitored by lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) in multiple sclerosis. A new approach to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19855355

So, I take Soy Lecithin which is really cheap and Alpha GPC which while more expensive, seems like it may work better than Choline Citrate.

With fish oil 3X a day, I take them for myelin health though I do seem mentally sharper. I also take Acetyl L Carnitine and LDN which are good for cognition and fatigue as well.

[Twenty Miles]

For me when I use the Carlson's, the Cod causes less indigestion than the fish oil.

[limbo-lifer.73]

Why not just eat the salmon??

Sorry, I'm sure there's a really good reason, but it's early
AM here, the weather people LIED again (gasp!),
and it didn't cool down nearly as much as they promised!

Guess I'm feeling a little punchy....

Doesn't fish oil make you belch "dead fish" all day?

Take care of yourself,

me

[Twenty Miles]

For me, I don't like eating fish. I do agree, the natural form is much better than the supplement.

[nutritiontara]

What is the difference between cod liver oil and fish oil and which one is the best to take?

I get so confused when it comes to all this vitamins and suplements.

Cod liver oil is from the "liver" so contains higher mounts of vit A and D.
The only vitamins the liver stores is A and D.
So there is that concern when taking large doses.

The fish oil is going to have varying amounts of these vitamins....

Thats why I use Tuna oil inwhich I do not have to take into account the A and D.