A Scientific Review Into the Biochemistry of Triglyceride Cod Liver Oil

In Achieving Optimal Cellular Function and Coherence

The molecular structure of fish oil greatly varies within the market and not only influences its health benefits but also affects its stability, rancidity, and oxidation. Fish oil primarily comes in two forms: the natural triglyceride (TG) form and the highly processed, molecularly distilled Ethyl Ester (EE) form. The triglyceride form is the natural state found in fish and is better recognized, absorbed, and utilized by the body because this is the biological blood circulating form. It is also more stable due to its strong glycerol backbone, reducing the risk of oxidation, rancidity, and degradation of other naturally occurring beneficial nutrient compounds.

In contrast, the ethyl ester form is an artificial byproduct of extensive manufacturer processing. This ultra processing significantly alters the integrity of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), making the cod liver oil less stable, more prone to oxidation, and with lower bioavailability and biological function. As a result, manufacturers often inject synthetic DHA, EPA, vitamin A, and vitamin D into the final product in hopes of restoring its nutritional value. Unfortunately, this adulteration does not replicate the natural forms of these nutrients -- compromising their bioavailability and biological function. To ensure maximum health benefits, AzureWell only uses the triglyceride form of Cod Liver Oil, prioritizing purity, stability, and biological efficacy.

Optimizing Membrane Fluidity to Achieve Cellular Coherence

DHA and EPA are critical to the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane. They biochemically maintain membrane fluidity to promote nutrient transport, detoxification, and cellular homeostasis. Bioenergetically, the unique electron density of DHA and EPA influences the energetic matrix at which the cell resonates.

The high electron density of DHA and EPA is directly responsible for these membrane dynamics, optimizing cellular function on a biochemical level and maintaining cellular coherence. Simply put, the higher the electron density from DHA and EPA's carbon-carbon bonds, the healthier the cell membrane's fluidity, optimizing its biochemical and bioenergetic functions.

The Unnatural Consequence of Molecular Distillation Into Altered Forms

Fish oils, in their natural triglyceride form, preserve the glycerol backbone attached to DHA and EPA. In contrast, molecular distillation cleaves this glycerol backbone from DHA and EPA and positions them into ethyl ester forms, disrupting the delicate carbon-carbon bonds, which yields their electron density. This unnatural alteration not only impairs DHA and EPA’s absorption rate into the cell membrane but diminishes the electron dynamics, weakening the membrane’s lipid matrix and affecting both its physiological function and the coherence of the membrane's energetic field.

The Hidden Impact of Cod Liver Oil's PRMs

When the triglyceride form of EPA and DHA is preserved in the manufacturing process, pro-resolving mediators (PRMs) like resolvins, protectins, and maresins, play a pivotal role in promoting a healthy inflammatory response, supporting the body’s natural clearance of inflammatory cells. However, the molecular distillation process of cod liver oil into the ethyl ester form alters the structural integrity of EPA and DHA.  This modification of the glycerol backbone also affects the activity of pro-resolving mediators, diminishing the natural inflammatory support typically associated with omega-3 fatty acids. 

AzureWell Alaskan Cod Liver Oil contains active pro-resolving mediators, the concentration of which is similar to what is found in human breast milk during the first four weeks of lactation.

Nature’s Perfect Pair Outperforms Their Synthetic Substitutes

When Cod Liver Oil is manufactured to maintain its triglyceride backbone (as AzureWell’s Alaskan Cod Liver Oil does), it creates the perfect fatty acid matrix to deliver naturally occurring vitamin A (as retinol) and vitamin D3 (as cholecalciferol). In contrast, high-temperature molecular distillation strips away this natural lipid matrix and exposes these volatile compounds to oxidative degradation of retinol into inactive or toxic byproducts (retinoic acid, retinaldehyde) and the breakdown of vitamin D3 into ineffective metabolites (tachysterol, lumisterol).

Furthermore, manufacturers will often add synthetic vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate) and synthetic vitamin D (as ergocalciferol/D2, typically from irradiated sheep’s lanolin) to compensate for nutrient loss. These adulterated versions are not biologically active and can lead to excess accumulation of their toxic metabolites (vitamin A as retinaldehyde and vitamin D as ergocalciferol).

Choosing a cod liver oil in the biological triglyceride form is the preferred structure for safeguarding its full-spectrum nutrient benefits, bioavailability, and bioenergetic dynamics. Not all fish oils are created equal! The difference between triglyceride-bound fatty acids and molecularly-altered ethyl-ester cod liver oil is not just a matter of purity. The difference directly affects how well the body can absorb and utilize its essential fatty acids, pro-resolving mediators, and fat-soluble vitamins. At AzureWell, by preserving the integrity of our Alaskan Cod Liver Oil in its triglyceride form, we ensure a clinical deliverable that nourishes and sustains cellular function at the biochemical and bioenergetic levels.