Salmon Oil Vs. Cod Liver Oil

What good does fish do for our health can be well understood from what the American Heart Association recommends. According to this association, having fish at least two times a week is good enough to prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases, significantly.

Fishes like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and cod to name a few are power houses of powerful antioxidants known as omega-3 fatty acids.

And as most of us are aware, these acids, also known as essential fatty acids, provide a great deal of benefits for brain function as well as normal growth and development, besides providing potent defense against various heart diseases.

People who consume fish at least two times a week stay less vulnerable to develop high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and osteoporosis.

Even psychological problems such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could be treated or prevented with omega-3 fatty acids.

For your information, salmon oil is extracted from the tissues of salmon, and produced either as a liquid or soft gel capsule. And cod liver oil is obtained by press steam cooking cod livers, and extracting the oil. This oil also comes in liquid or capsule form.

Although the two types of oil are rich source of omega 3-fatty acids, they differ from each other in their origin, vitamin content, and levels of toxicity.

Here is a nutritive analysis of both the oils for the same serving size.

Nutrients - Amount

• Total Fat - 100 g
• Cholesterol - 485 mg
• Total Omega-3 fatty acids - 35311 mg
• Total Omega-6 fatty acids - 1543 mg

The approximate break up of fat content for the same serving size:

• Saturated fat - 19.9 g
• Monounsaturated fat - 29.0 g
• Polyunsaturated fat - 40.3 g
• Calories - 902

Nutrients - Amount

• Total Fat - 100 g
• Cholesterol - 570 mg
• Vitamin A - 100014 IU
• Vitamin D - 10001 IU
• Total Omega-3 fatty acids - 19736 mg
• Total Omega-6 fatty acids - 935 mg

The approximate break up of fat content for the same serving size:

• Saturated fat - 22.6 g
• Monounsaturated fat - 46.7 g
• Polyunsaturated fat - 22.5 g
• Calories - 902

When we speak of the toxicity level of salmon oil, according to the American Heart Association, this fish is one of the commonly eaten fish with the lowest mercury content. In addition to this, a recent study was conducted on wild and farmed salmon taken from Canadian waters.

Results showed that these fish were low in mercury content when compared to many other foods. It also revealed that, salmons in wild, were three times more toxic than the farmed ones, in terms of total mercury levels.

When it comes to cod liver oil, it is classified under fish with a lower mercury content thus, its toxicity levels are higher than that of salmon. Also cod fish is believed to be exposed to PCBs (stable chlorinated organic chemicals that can be dangerous environmental pollutants) or other environmental toxins, more than any other fish.

Apart from the benefits of salmon or cod liver oil as mentioned above, there are a few side effects that these supplements may cause in some people.

Salmon Oil Side Effects

• Bleeding (for people with pre-existing blood conditions)
• Diarrhea
• Flatulence
• Bloating
• Interaction with certain prescription drugs such as anticoagulants, and drugs that are administered for managing blood sugar levels

Cod Liver Oil Side Effects

• Foul breath
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Black tarry stools
• Increased risk of bleeding
• Headache

What is to be noted here, is, all such side effects are not severe for most people. They only get severe when supplements of these oils are administered in dosages more than what is prescribed. But overall, both these products are beneficial for health, provided that they are used as recommended by doctors.