CLO - COD LIVER OIL WITH UNIQUE PROPERTIES
Cod liver oil is available in several varieties. The highest quality cod liver oil - and if you ask us, the only cod liver oil that is healthy to consume - is so-called (Extra) Virgin Cod Liver Oil, often abbreviated as EVCLO or CLO in nutritional circles.
So what is Virgin Cod Liver Oil? In Swedish it can be called unprocessed cod liver oil.
The raw material for the oil is cod liver from fish caught in clean, cold waters.
How are CLOs mined?
When crude cod liver oil is extracted, no pressing, chemicals, heat, heat or steam should be used in the process. This is very important to ensure that the oil does not oxidize. Polyunsaturated fatty acids otherwise oxidize very easily when exposed to pressure, heat, oxygen or light.
Time is also important - the cod liver must be taken care of immediately after the catch. If it is exposed to heat, light or oxygen during transport to land, it can oxidize, i.e. the fatty acids are then destroyed - long before they even end up in a package on their way to you.
The fish that are the raw material for the purest CLO are caught by hand and the oil is released from the fish within 15 minutes of being caught. The oil is decanted, i.e. particles and impurities sink to the bottom and are filtered out. Then a natural antioxidant is added.
Not just fatty acids
An unprocessed, raw cod liver oil is a unique dietary supplement. It contains all the nutrients of cod liver. Nothing has been removed, added or extracted to unnaturally high levels.
In addition to the well-known omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA, there are several other fatty acids that have an anti-inflammatory function. Vitamin D and A are included. The trace element copper is also found in the oil in a special easily absorbable form, which has a number of functions in the body - including balancing oxidative processes in the cell's energy production.
Balanced intake of vitamin D
The vitamin D content of cod liver oil is relatively low, compared to many capsules on the market. For some time, high doses of vitamin D, especially in winter, have been recommended by health advocates to maintain the immune system.
But there is a trend that is reversing the view on vitamin D now. Measuring vitamin D levels is not as simple as many nutritional therapists or healthcare practitioners think. Vitamin D is found in many different forms in the body. They are all created from the raw material cholesterol. When UVB light illuminates our skin, the basis for vitamin D is created (if enough cholesterol is present in the skin).
The form of vitamin D that is most often measured is the active form, 25-OH-vitamin D. Another form is the so-called inactive form, which is a storage form. The stored form of vitamin D becomes active during inflammation or infection. So, just measuring the active form - which is routinely done - doesn't tell you much about your store of vitamin D, but is more a measure of whether you have an infection or inflammation.
Vitamin D is important for bones and teeth. It controls - together with the parathyroid glands - the absorption of calcium via the intestine into the blood. But building bones is so much more complicated than having calcium in the blood. Too much added vitamin D can actually disrupt bone structure.
So many health buffs believe that raw cod liver oil is a safer way to ingest vitamin D in the winter, when we don't get it from the sun. The oil does not give megadoses if taken according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
