Foul-Tasting Stuff Praised for Warding Off Heart Disease : Nutritionists Rediscover Cod Liver Oil

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — In a shabby, nondescript building on Reykjavik’s northern shoreline, some 60 people produce nearly half the world’s output of cod liver oil, the traditional, and now trendy, elixir.

This foul-tasting stuff, traditionally shoved down children’s throats, is winning the hearts and minds of nutritionists in Europe and America.

A small company in Iceland is reaping the benefits.

“People are realizing that grandma was right,” said Baldur Hjaltason, a chemist at Iceland’s LYSI corporation.

LYSI is a leading producer of cod liver oil for human consumption, supplying about 40% of an ever expanding global market.

The latest fish oil bandwagon started rolling about 1980, after Danish researchers found that Greenland Inuits, whose diet is rich in a fish fat called Omega 3, rarely had heart problems.

Then scientists at the Oregon Health Sciences Center found that feeding people Omega 3 in pill form sharply reduced the fat that can accumulate and clog the arteries.

Study Boosted Sales

The results of their study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine two years ago, and cod liver oil sales rocketed immediately.

However, the fish oil studies are not conclusive, and some U.S. nutritionists argue that it has too much Vitamin D and cholesterol. They claim that eating fish regularly provides similar protection from heart attacks.

But their warnings have not yet done much to stem the tide of cod liver oil consumption.

A sharp drop in recent Norwegian fish catches has further contributed to the value of Icelandic fish oil exports.

Together, Norway and Iceland share about 95% of the total world market in fish oil for human consumption. Demand for the thick liquid substance and the pills that are made from it is much greater than supply.

“Our biggest headache is getting the fishermen not to throw away the liver so we can buy it from them,” Hjaltason said.

LYSI exports nearly all its output in large containers to the United States and Britain, where distributors bottle and sell the oil.

Because of fish oil’s decidedly evil taste, Omega 3 is becoming increasingly popular in pills, which have no taste.

In the United States, where 60 million people are reported to suffer from high blood pressure, the popularity of the pills is soaring.

$200-Million Market

The U.S. fish oil market, which lay dormant at $25 million in 1985, is expected to reach $200 million next year.

For Icelandic children, school used to begin with a required dose of cod liver oil. Many adults take a spoonful every morning, while the more courageous gulp it straight from the bottle.

“For me cod liver oil is like wine,” explains Hjaltason, adding, “I can appreciate a good year.”

The yellowish substance was long considered useful because of the lack of sunshine in Iceland, which creates a deficiency of Vitamin D.

Rich in Vitamins A and D, the oil was also considered essential for Icelandic children to fight rickets