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twisted cod liver oil by nick@, on Flickr

Another mainstream media moment. The Health article “What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D” which ran in the New York Times on July 26th, 2010 points up what WAPF (and other health-concerned) food bloggers have been quoting for years. Here are the highlights:

• Insufficient vitamin D intake is indicated in: “cancers of the colon, breast and prostate; high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; osteoarthritis; and immune-system abnormalities that can result in infections and autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.”
• Modern lifestyles prevent adequate sun exposure which would alleviate D insufficiency (think cutting back on dairy for its “evil” fat content, more indoor employment and recreation, lower fatty fish consumption, sunscreen)

But the article is not without its faults. For example:

• “The main dietary sources are wild-caught oily fish (salmon, mackerel, bluefish, and canned tuna) and fortified milk and baby formula, cereal and orange juice.” The best dietary source is good old cod liver oil. At 300 times the daily value of vitamin D, it beats up fortified orange juice (25 times DV) and takes its lunch money. There is much to be said for the synergy of a food that contains vitamin D naturally and is used by the body as part of the whole food rather than the nutritionism of fortification.
• “Babies who are exclusively breastfed are at risk for vitamin D deficiency.“ and “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breast-fed infants receive a daily supplement of 400 units until they are weaned and consuming a quart or more each day of fortified milk or formula.” Well, that’ll put a pretty quick end to a thriving breastfeeding relationship. A better policy would be to make sure Mom is receiving sufficient D and encourage appropriate levels of sunlight for baby than to start throwing fortified milk or formula at him.

I hear you all groaning out there about “fish burps” and how disgusting your Mom said taking a daily dose of cod liver oil is. I’m here to tell you, it’s not that bad. We have options Grandma couldn’t dream of.

First, try fermented cod liver oil. Not only does the fermentation process make the vitamins much more bioavailable, I find it almost completely alleviates “fish burps.” There are also flavored options and capsules to improve the likelihood the regimen will be adhered to. Take your cod liver oil with a cool drink (not milk and nothing carbonated) to reduce fishy backlash. Oh, and take it with a high nutrient meal, especially one containing butter for the very best nutritional boost. Still bothered? Take it at bedtime and sleep through it!

More reading on Vitamin D and cod liver oil:

20% of Kids Aged 1-11 Not Getting Enough Vitamin D

Start a buying club for great savings!

Kidney Stones, Juice, Sugar…and Brain

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, hosted by Food Renegade.