DOES DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF COD-LIVER OIL MITIGATE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN

Objective: To investigate the relationship between dietary supplementa tion of cod liver oil and the intensity of pain in people with musculo skeletal pain. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Data from the N orwegian Health Survey 1985. Subjects: All adult respondents who had r eported musculoskeletal pain (n=4490). Main outcome measures: intensit y of musculoskeletal pain as assessed by self reports during an interv iew. Results: in logistic regression analyses (adjusting for age, gend er, socioeconomic status, civil status, smoking habits, physical exerc ise, mental distress, and use of medicines), there was a negative asso ciation between regular intake of cod liver oil during the previous we ek and intense pain (OR=0.75; 95% CI: 0.56-1.00; P=0.048) and consider able-intense pain (OR=0.81; 95% CI: 0.67-1.00; P=0.045). The associati on was stronger in the 33% of the respondents who reported a musculosk eletal disease, as expressed by the relationship of cod liver oil to i ntense pain (OR=0.64; 95% CI: 0.43-0.95; P=0.028) and considerable/int ense pain (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.54-1.03; P=0.076). The association var ied between diagnostic groups, and was not seen in people who did not report a musculoskeletal disease. Conclusion: The study suggests that people with musculoskeletal pain experience less pain if they take cod liver oil.