Beef Liver Health Benefits and Nutrition Facts

Nutritional summary

Beef liver is a highly concentrated source of vitamin A and iron, providing significantly more of these nutrients than standard muscle meats .
Liver is an efficient source of high-quality protein, containing a complete profile of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein the body cannot make itself) .
Frequent consumption of liver can lead to excessive vitamin A intake, which may exceed 1,500 micrograms per day; over many years, this has been linked to an increased risk of bone fractures in older adults .
Because of its high vitamin A density, institutional guidance suggests limiting liver intake to no more than once per week to avoid potential long-term toxicity .

Interesting fact

Historically, beef liver was so highly prized for its restorative properties that it was used as a primary treatment for pernicious anemia before the specific discovery of vitamin B12.

Standout nutrients

EPIC

SOURCE

Molybdenum

EPIC

SOURCE

Vitamin B12

EPIC

SOURCE

Vitamin A

EPIC

SOURCE

Copper

144

kcal per 100g

Protein22.1g

Fat4.94g

Carbs4.59g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat1.19g

Monounsat0.74g

Saturated1.87g

Seasonality

Not available

Diet

Gluten FreeDairy FreeKetoLow FodmapPaleo

Sustainability

Moderate

As an offal byproduct of the beef industry, its impact is lower than prime cuts, though it shares the high footprint of cattle farming.

Confidencemedium

Storage

Refrigerate

1–2 days

Keep in the coldest part of the fridge

Freeze

3–6 months

Wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 4 validated sources

French Food Database

1 contributing source food

Swiss Food Database

1 contributing source food

McCance & Widdowson

1 contributing source food

USDA

USDA FoodData Central

1 contributing source food

Claim citations

Systematic Review of Beef Protein Effects on Gut Microbiota - PMC

[3]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meat in your diet - NHS

[5]www.nhs.uknhs.uk

[PDF] USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard ReferenceRelease 28

[6]ods.od.nih.gov

Protein - The Nutrition Source

[9]nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

58.3

Version

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