See Also: Liver(health)
liver(1)(dictionary)
liver(2)(dictionary)
liver(dictionary)
cod liver oil(medicine)
cod-liver oil(encyclopedia)
Cod liver oil(health)
liver(encyclopedia)
liver(dictionary)
Liver(medicine)

cod-liver oil (sh)




Oil obtained primarily from the liver of the Atlantic cod and related fish.

It is principally a mixture of the glycerides (see glycerol) of many fatty acids, but its minor constituents, the fat-soluble vitamin A and vitamin D, give it its importance. It was once used to treat and prevent rickets, but the widespread fortification of milk with vitamin D in the United States and Europe beginning in the 1930s eliminated rickets as a significant public health problem. It is still used as a remedy for joint pain caused by arthritis and as a preventive of cardiovascular disease, although these benefits have not been proven scientifically. It is also used in feeds for poultry and other animals.