Desiccated Beef Liver

Desiccated beef liver is a freeze-dried whole-food supplement marketed as a nutrient-dense source of preformed vitamin A (retinol), B12, heme iron, copper, choline, and CoQ10. There are no RCTs evaluating desiccated liver as a supplement — clinical support is indirect, extrapolated from the known bioavailability of its constituent nutrients (e.g., heme iron absorbs 15–35% vs. 2–20% for non-heme; preformed retinol is directly bioactive). A 3 g serving provides a meaningful fraction of RDA for B12, copper, and vitamin A, but amounts vary by brand and are rarely verified by third-party testing. Preformed vitamin A content is a genuine concern at higher doses, particularly in pregnancy (UL 3,000 mcg RAE/day) — cumulative intake from liver plus a multivitamin can exceed safe limits. Source quality matters: grass-fed, pasture-raised liver from countries with strict cattle standards (New Zealand, Argentina) is often preferred due to lower pesticide and heavy metal residues, though third-party testing is rare. No established RDA/UL for liver itself.