What is Cod Liver Oil?

Cod liver oil (English name: cod liver oil). The fat extracted from the liver of sharks, cods, etc. is yellow and has a fishy smell, and mainly contains vitamin A and vitamin D. Commonly used to prevent night blindness and rickets. ^[1]

[yú gn yóu]

Cod liver oil (English name: cod liver oil). The fat extracted from the liver of sharks, cods, etc. is yellow and has a fishy smell, and mainly contains vitamin A and vitamin D. Commonly used to prevent night blindness and rickets. ^[1]

3.15 Cod liver oil 3.15 exposure

Cod liver oil incident

Cod liver oil was exposed at 3.15 night in 2014. The show questioned cod liver oil babies eating cod liver oil every day and suggested that cod liver oil is a drug and cannot be used in food. Han Junhua, deputy director of the Standards Division 3 of the National Food Safety Assessment Center, said: "In infant formula, these two vitamins are sufficient, and no additional supplements are needed. If you have already eaten these things, and then supplement them, this amount may Out of control. "Said Zhang Jichun, chief pharmacist of Xiehe Hospital." It's not a supplement. It's a medicine. It's a medicine that has its indications. "

However, the above views are considered misleading by many pediatricians and nutritionists.

On the other hand, the program revealed that the cod liver oil produced and sold by many companies is neither a pharmaceutical nor a health food, and the standards for aquatic processed products and confectionery are used. Individual companies deliberately approached children's cod liver oil on product packaging and labels and did not organize production in accordance with food filing requirements ^[2] . A spokesman for the State Food and Drug Administration said that there were indeed illegal acts that evaded supervision and misled consumers in this case ^[3] .

Cod liver oil controversy

1. Is cod liver oil a medicine or a food?

Cod liver oil is indeed an ancient drug recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, but it is also used as a food or dietary supplement in most countries and regions. For example, the US Department of Agriculture's food nutrition database includes cod liver oil and is classified as fish oil (cod liver). ). ^[4] In China, cod liver oil is an item listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China and has no traditional eating habits. According to the "Reply from the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Cod Liver Oil Related Issues", it is not considered to be ordinary food. ^[5]

2. Can't eat cod liver oil every day? Eating too much will poison you?

The main components of cod liver oil are vitamin A and vitamin D. The dosage of most cod liver oil and vitamin AD drops on the market in China is within the safe range. Consumers are safe to consume according to the label or instructions on cod liver oil products.

[ The highest safe dose of cod liver oil]

The National Institute of Medicine believes that the daily intake of vitamin A for infants aged 0 to 3 years is 2,000 IU; the daily intake of vitamin D is 1000 IU for 0 to 6 months, 1500 IU for 6 to 12 months, 2500 IU for 1 to 3 years, Adults up to 4000 IU are safe.

[Toxic dose]

According to "Pediatrics", (vitamin D) general children take 20,000 IU to 50,000 IU daily, or 2000 IU / kg daily, poisoning can occur for several weeks or months, and sensitive children 4,000 IU daily for 1 to It can be poisoned in March. (Vitamin A) Infants and young children consume 50,000 to 100,000 IU per day, which can cause chronic poisoning after more than 6 months. It has also been reported that those who take only 25,000 IU per day and have symptoms of poisoning within one month ^[6] .

3. Does the baby need to eat every day?

Due to the lack of vitamin D in breast milk, it is difficult to obtain sufficient vitamin D through sun exposure and ultraviolet rays are likely to cause damage to the skin and eyes. Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics believes that in addition to drinking formula milk above 1000mL (or carefully calculating vitamin D according to the product label) Intake amounted to 400 IU) ^[7] Infants, breast-fed and mixed-fed babies should be supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D drops. In the absence of pure vitamin D preparations, safe doses of cod liver oil and vitamin AD drops can be used instead. .

Cod liver oil related products

Cod liver oil similar ingredients

Cod liver oil (medicine)

Cod liver oil This product is a fatty oil proposed from the liver of non-toxic marine fish such as catfish. After removing some solid fat at about 0 ° C, the concentration is adjusted with refined edible vegetable oil, higher concentration cod liver oil or vitamin A and vitamin D3. , And then add an appropriate amount of stabilizer. Each 1g of vitamin A should be 90.0% ~ 120.% of the labeled amount; vitamin D should be 85.0% of the labeled amount.

Vitamin AD soft capsule (medicine)

This product is made by taking vitamin A and vitamin D2 or vitamin D3, adding cod liver oil or refined edible vegetable oil (removing solid fat at about 0 ° C) and adjusting the concentration. Each capsule contains vitamin A at 90.0% ~ 120.% of the labeled amount; vitamin D contains at least 85.0% of the labeled amount. The label should indicate that this product contains vitamin D2 or vitamin D3.

Vitamin AD drops (drugs)

This product is made by taking vitamin A and vitamin D2 or vitamin D3, adding cod liver oil or refined edible vegetable oil (solid fat is removed at about 0 ° C) to dissolve and adjust the concentration, and adding an appropriate amount of stabilizer. Vitamin A should be 90.0% ~ 120.% of the labeled amount; Vitamin D should be more than 85.0% of the labeled amount. The label should indicate that this product contains vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. ^[8]

Cod liver oil fish oil

Broadly defined fish oil is the fat of fish including cod liver oil, but the main functional components of fish oil generally referred to are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which can regulate blood lipids and other functions The main effect of cod liver oil is vitamin A and vitamin D, the main role is to prevent vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency.

D Cod liver oil vitamin D preparation

Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in the country, and compared to common vitamin AD drops, vitamin D preparations do not contain vitamin A, so there is no risk of vitamin A overdose when cod liver oil is used in therapeutic doses.

Cod liver oil calcium preparation

Calcium and vitamin D are two different things. For infants within 12 months calcium intake is easily satisfied by drinking milk. Calcium preparations are generally not needed. For children and adults, follow daily dietary guidelines to ensure that milk, vegetables, Adequate amounts of calcium can also be obtained from the intake of beans and nuts, and calcium preparations are not required. However, the actual national dietary survey data show that calcium intake is generally insufficient. For insufficient calcium intake or other diseases, calcium should be selected in time. preparation.

Cod liver oil common cod liver oil categories

Cod liver oil pre-packaged food

Food cod liver oil has a relatively low production threshold and relatively inadequate vitamin AD content. Product quality depends on the standards and quality control standards implemented by the company. Qualified products are safe as daily food.

Cod liver oil health food

Health food is what we often call the "blue hat" label, with the national food and health brand. Generally contains vitamin A, vitamin D, DHA and other ingredients. It must not promote efficacy beyond the scope and cannot replace medicines.

Cod liver oil medicines

It is more specific and more targeted than food cod liver oil dosage and composition.

Cod liver oil preliminary processed products and raw materials, non-edible fish oil, etc.

According to the customs commodity code, cod liver oil and its fractions include edible fish oil, non-edible fish oil, and aquatic pharmaceutical products. ^[9]

Cod liver oil

Cod liver oil in the narrow sense is refined from the liver of marine fish. Cod liver oil in a broad sense also includes liver oil of whale, seal and other sea animals.

Cod liver oil recommendations

For the prevention and treatment of vitamin A and D deficiency. Such as rickets, night blindness, and pediatric hand-foot convulsions.

Cod liver oil for infants

WHO states that infants have low levels of vitamin D storage at birth and rely on breast milk, sunlight, or supplements as a source of vitamin D during the first months of life. Vitamin D deficiency in infants can cause bone deformities (rickets), epilepsy, and difficulty breathing. Vitamin D deficiency is common in infants, even where foods have been fortified with vitamin D and where there is sufficient sunshine throughout the year.

Cod liver oil breastfeeding

The "Guide to Diet for Chinese Residents" states that breastfeeding refers to a feeding method that uses breast milk to meet all of the baby's liquid, energy, and nutritional needs at 6 months after birth. In breastfeeding, the exceptions may be the use of small amounts of nutrient supplements such as vitamin D and vitamin K. Normal breast-feeding infants should be fed with vitamin D 400IU ~ 800IU daily (400IU ~ 600IU in the south, 600IU ~ 800IU in the north), and premature infants should be added to 600IU ~ 800IU daily. For those who have difficulty in taking oral vitamin D daily, monthly Oral vitamin D 5000IU ~ 100000IU. ^[10]

Cod liver oil artificial feeding

Since leaving the hospital at birth, the baby has taken 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Breast-fed and partially breast-fed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D daily. ^[11]

Cod liver oil for children

Children who have a balanced diet and adequate outdoor activities do not need to take cod liver oil .

Cod liver oil and vitamin AD preparations contain both vitamin D and vitamin A. If you only want to supplement vitamin D, cod liver oil has too much vitamin A, which is not as good as pure vitamin D preparations. On the other hand, national data on children's vitamin A deficiency is about 11%. Large cities do not To 5%, 15% in remote areas, and even half of children in some regions have vitamin A deficiency, and a greater proportion of children are in subclinical vitamin A deficiency. For this kind of nutritional imbalanced people, including cod liver oil, golden rice and other ways to supplement vitamin A is necessary.

Vitamin A deficiency

The "China National Formulary (Children's Edition)" issued in 2013 clearly states that children with high levels of vitamin A deficiency or those who have been found to have subclinical vitamin A deficiency should be given preventive oral vitamin A for children under the guidance of a physician. 1500IU per day.

Vitamin D deficiency

The American Endocrine Association 2011 guidelines recommend treatment options for those with vitamin D deficiency. The dose for at least 6 weeks of 1-18 years is 2000IU / d of vitamin D2 or D3 or 50,000IU of vitamin D2 once a week, and the maintenance dose is 600-1000IU / d. The treatment dose for 0-1 years old is the same as before, and the maintenance dose is 400-1000IU / d. Adults are 50,000 IU per week or 6000 IU per day for at least 8 weeks, and the maintenance dose is 1500-2000 IU / d. (The target serum 25 (OH) D reaches 30ng / mL)

Cod liver oil health effects

D Cod liver oil vitamin D

Vitamin D helps to ensure that the body absorbs and stores calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets and osteomalacia. However, due to insufficient outdoor activities, haze, sun protection, and lack of fortified foods, vitamin D deficiency is a domestic phenomenon. very common. Natural foods contain very few vitamin D foods. Fatty fish and cod liver oil are the best food sources for vitamin D.

Excess risk

Vitamin D overdose can cause some non-specific symptoms, such as anorexia, weight loss, polyuria, arrhythmia, etc., more serious is that it may cause calcification of blood vessels and tissues by increasing blood calcium levels, and damage the heart, blood vessels and kidneys. Postmenopausal women with 1000mg of calcium and 400IU of vitamin D at the same time can increase the risk of kidney stones by 17%.

The maximum tolerable intake is 1000 IU from 0 to June, 1500 IU from June to December, 2500 IU from 1 to 3 years old, 3000 IU from 4 to 8 years old, and 4000 IU from 9 years old.

A Cod liver oil vitamin A

Vitamin A is very helpful for maintaining normal visual function, immune system and reproductive health. It can be obtained through animal liver, green-yellow-orange vegetables, fish such as salmon, fruits such as mango, and dairy products. Children in developed regions are not easily lacking outside of pregnant women. However, chronic diarrhea may cause vitamin A loss, leading to symptoms such as dry eye or night blindness and anemia. The vitamin A deficiency rate of children in China can reach more than 10% in some regions. The proportion of subclinical vitamin A is higher, which can reduce children's body resistance. Strength, causing high incidence of infectious diseases such as the respiratory tract and digestive tract.

Excess risk

In the 16th century, there have been reports of liver poisoning from eating polar bears. Long-term intake of vitamin A over 33,000 IU will cause chronic poisoning, and there will be baldness, dyskinesia, and pain. Adults taking more than 66 000 IU at a time will immediately experience symptoms such as vomiting and headache. General daily supplementation is not recommended to exceed 10,000IU. But at the same time, vitamin A deficiency in children is not uncommon (3% to 50% in different regions of the country). Symptoms of poisoning: dizziness, nausea, pain and even death.

Tolerable maximum intake: 2000IU for infants 0-3 years old, 3000IU for 4-8 years old, 5667IU for 9-13 years old, 9333IU for 14-18 years old, and 10,000IU for adults.

Cod liver oil heavy metals

Due to the worsening marine pollution, fish meat and fish offal are often enriched with heavy metals. Therefore, traditional cod liver oil is prone to the risk of exceeding heavy metals and adversely affects health. The drug vitamin AD drops generally use synthetic vitamin A and vitamin D, and the risk of exceeding heavy metals is relatively small. So it is recommended to take the medicine vitamin AD drops supplement.

Cod liver oil purchase advice

1. Look at the package

2. Look at the instructions: pay attention to the type of ingredients pay attention to vitamin A, vitamin D dosage standards based

This description is not used as a basis for diagnosis and treatment. For details, please follow the instructions and doctor's order. The definition of administrative management is subject to the latest local regulations.