Is Liver Dangerous in Pregnancy?
The Misleading Liver Myth
Myth: “Eating liver causes Vitamin A toxicity… so liver is dangerous in pregnancy”
Why I have a problem with this common misconception
The reason liver has been placed on some “Do not eat when pregnant” lists is simply because it’s rich in vitamin A.
VITAMIN A
Essential for a healthy pregnancy, healthy fetal development, and healthy breastmilk
REQUIRED for proper development of baby’s critical organs during pregnancy especially in the first trimester (i.e. eyes, lungs, heart, kidney, and dental arch)
Extra safe when combined with vitamin D and K2 (both of which are present in liver)
Deficiency poses great risk to pregnant mother and baby (i.e. birth defects including congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which is on the rise)
1/3 of pregnant women are deficient in vitamin A
80% of women of childbearing age are not reaching daily recommended intake amount
LIVER is…
Nature’s ultimate “multi-vitamin”—
JAM PACKED with vitamin A, incredibly rich in iron and other nutrients critical for supporting a mum so she can create a healthy baby— folate, zinc, copper, B vitamins (including the beloved B12), brain-building choline (very difficult to get adequate amount via supplementation as it is “big” nutrient and multiple capsules would have to be taken to meet nutrient needs), anti-inflammatory omega-3s, antioxidants, and nearly all the amazing yet hard-to-find nutrients needed to support a healthy pregnancy, postpartum, and toddler’s rapid growth (like Vitamin D, E, K and more)
See how nutrient levels in beef liver & heart compare to ground beef - courtesy of Lilynicholsrdn.com
Misunderstood—
it is NOT filled with toxins — it does effectively detoxify your body by eliminating excess estrogen that most of us struggle with… (I mean, the average woman is exposed to 168 hormone balance disrupting chemicals on a daily basis from beauty products alone… not to mention forever chemicals in our water & toilet paper that also cause estrogen-related imbalances in the body)
One of the best foods a human being (especially the new mother) can consume—
it is one of the world’s more nutrient dense foods.
“Ounce for ounce - liver is probably more nutritious than any other food.” - University of California Berkeley
A “superfood”—
Do you know any other food that remineralizes teeth; supports thyroid health; AND strengthens the intestinal wall? #guthealing
Historically & culturally revered—
Every single time I connect with pregnant & postpartum mums on what food to focus on to meet their and their toddlers’ incredibly high nutrient needs, liver always ends up being the single most “problem solving” food. It’s no surprise to me that historically, liver has been consumed for thousands of years across the globe. Culturally, it is leveraged in the context of “food as medicine” to support those who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or sick.
Yet, liver has been labeled as a “dangerous”
WHY IS THERE FEAR AROUND VITAMIN A / LIVER CONSUMPTION?
[*Synthetic supplemental] Vitamin A is correlated with birth defects. Before we all decide to liver should be avoided especially when pregnant because it has a lot of vitamin A, let’s see HOW this vitamins is correlated to birth defects:
Vitamin A as it relates to birth defect risks—
Birth defects related to TOO MUCH vitamin A: 20 cases in the last 30 years
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) / a birth defect due to NOT ENOUGH vitamin A: 1,050,000 cases in the last 30 years
CDH defect in an unborn baby's diaphragm, the muscle that divides the chest cavity and abdominal cavity. CDH occurs when the diaphragm does not close the right way during the baby's development and abdominal organs push (“herniate”) through the defect into the chest cavity.
Other birth defect issues linked to inadequate intake of Vitamin A: poor development of eyes, heart, lungs, mouth, and kidneys; inadequate birth weight; full term gestation — and more.
Liver Facts (based on numerous studies)
There has never been a documented case of Vitamin A toxicity related to naturally occurring Vitamin A found in liver (i.e. beef/chicken liver) — see screenshot at the end of this post!
Many mums are told to avoid liver during pregnancy due to a vitamin A toxicity study that was exclusively linked to high-doses of SYNTHETIC (man-made) vitamin A [Source]
An old study was released in 1995 based on pregnant women having 10,000 IU of synthetic vitamin A (which is not related to naturally occurring vitamin A in food). The vitamin A from food sources does NOT have the same level of toxicity as the synthetic vitamin A highlighted in this study.
10,000 IU is the current daily maximum intake level of Active vitamin A that I recommend my clients stay under and that is actually a conservative approach as 10,000 IU/day is unlikely to cause adverse health effects. Studies have shown a daily dose of 30,000 IU does not cause birth defects.
One would have to consume quite a bit of raw beef liver to hit the upper tolerable intake of 10,000 IU of vitamin A since 3oz of raw beef liver = 14,363 IU. Organ / liver capsules (6 capsules) that I recommend contain less than 1,000 IU of naturally occurring vitamin A; many studies since have proved against the theory that liver consumption in pregnancy is not safe.
Again, there is no evidence that naturally occurring Vitamin A (i.e. liver) is toxic especially when paired with sufficient vitamin D & K (both of which are plentiful in liver - God is good!)
In Conclusion…
I highly recommend the consumption of quality liver (in moderation) - a little bit goes a long ways.
As with anything, not too much and not too little is important. It’s about balance and eating [liver] in moderation.
While overdoing vitamin A via liver is very rare, anything’s possible.
In fact the nutrients found in this powerhouse food are critical for a healthy full term pregnancy so I recommend my clients who do not consume enough nutrients (i.e. vitamin A, choline, etc) via their diet to supplement with high quality desiccated beef liver capsules.
Dosing for pregnancy
For pregnancy, I recommend about 3-6 oz of liver weekly, but at the end of the day every body and diet is different and highly personalized. Take a look at your prenatal and check out how much “retinyl palmitate” you’re getting. Subtract that quantity from 10,000 IU and consume no more than that number throughout each day of pregnancy.
For postpartum/breastfeeding mums, I highly recommend Foraged For You (Mother’s Blend) as the liver is fermented and paired with other foods that make the nutrients of liver highly absorbable during this phase where vitamin A needs are quite high.
For non-pregnant folks, 6oz of liver weekly (or more) is fine.
Vitamin A levels in Women (a reminder)
⅓ of pregnant women are vitamin A deficient.
80% of women of childbearing age are not meeting the daily recommended intake of vitamin A.
Liver for Babies
Pasture-raised chicken liver was one of my daughter’s first foods and continues to be one of her favorite foods!
When is it appropriate to start offering it?
Whenever baby is ready to start solids! Developmental signs of readiness usually show up around the 6 month mark.
When is it GOOD to start offering it?
As soon as baby is ready to start eating food - babies need for nutrients that are very difficult to find in other food sources (i.e. iron) are ABUNDANT in even a tiny bit of liver which is perfect as babies don’t have very much real estate in their tiny bellies while their need for nutrients are HIGH
What dosing and frequency is recommended?
For a toddler 6-12 months, 1/2 tsp to 1 tbsp around 3 days a week (or every other day-ish) is a good goal to aim for!
Where can I purchase good quality liver?
Quality liver / organ meats is KEY!
The livers and kidneys of factory-farmed animals usually contain significant amounts of cadmium. — Westonaprice.org
Get in touch with your local butcher at the farmer’s market. Confirm that their chicken liver is pasture raised and that their beef liver is from 100% grass fed cows. In SoCal, I order from Buy Ranch Direct. On island, I order from Forage Hawaii.
Some even offer ground meat with liver/organ meat blended in. Look for brands like Force of Nature at your local health food stores.
How do you prepare liver?
It’s super easy… once the liver is defrosted, cut it into small finger size strips (i.e. beef liver) or slivers (i.e. chicken liver, which has a milder taste) — heat a skillet over medium heat with non-inflammatory oil like coconut oil (if baby is not allergic to coconut), ghee (if baby is not allergic to cow’s milk), or beautiful fat like tallow from grass fed cows. Once skillet sizzles if a bit of water is spritz at it, lower heat to low and place chopped liver pieces on skillet until edges are brown. Flip and continue to cook until center is pink. I like to make a large batch and freeze the rest to defrost and offer to may child later in the week.
A lot of families love the Jordie Pie liver pate too!
Another Misleading Liver Myth
Myth: “The liver stores toxins… so liver is not safe for consumption.”
Another Liver Myth Busting Fact
While the liver’s primary function is to filter & detox the body, contrary to what most believe, toxins are NOT stored in the liver at any higher rate than any other organ/tissue in the body; as in the level of toxins found in muscle meat vs the level of toxins in liver is essentially the same.
Liver is like a Post Office— Letter mail & packages are not stored at the post office - it passes through. Likewise, toxins are not stored in the liver.
The liver has many important functions including the role of sending excess endotoxins, hormones, glucose, and more where they needs to go.
Hopefully this helped clear the air and diminish any concerns or hesitation you had around consumption of quality liver & encapsulated liver!
Be well,
Mum with a Bun
A fun conversation I had with ChatGPT about liver— many are told to avoid liver during pregnancy due to vitamin A content, but high-dose *synthetic supplemental vitamin A is linked to birth defects. Naturally occurring vitamin A from liver has not been linked to birth defects and does not exert the toxicity of synthetic vitamin A supplements. Could we rather focus on the fact that vitamin A deficiency is impacting 1/3 of pregnant women and is linked to an increasingly large amount of birth defects as it is critical for fetal growth and development?
SOURCES
Stoltzfus RJ. Vitamin A deficiency in the mother-infant dyad. SCN News. 1994;(11):25-7. PMID: 12288232.
Sharma R, Desai S. Vitamin A in pregnancy: a review. Indian J Matern Child Health. 1992 Apr-Jun;3(2):36-40. PMID: 12288485.
Debelo H, Novotny JA, Ferruzzi MG. Vitamin A. Adv Nutr. 2017 Nov 15;8(6):992-994. doi: 10.3945/an.116.014720. PMID: 29141980; PMCID: PMC5683001.
Bastos Maia S, Rolland Souza AS, Costa Caminha MF, Lins da Silva S, Callou Cruz RSBL, Carvalho Dos Santos C, Batista Filho M. Vitamin A and Pregnancy: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2019 Mar 22;11(3):681. doi: 10.3390/nu11030681. PMID: 30909386; PMCID: PMC6470929.
Radhika MS, Bhaskaram P, Balakrishna N, Ramalakshmi BA, Devi S, Kumar BS. Effects of vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy on maternal and child health. BJOG. 2002 Jun;109(6):689-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.01010.x. PMID: 12118649.
Nichols, Lily. Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition. Lily Nichols.
Buss, NE et al. “The teratogenic metabolites of vitamin A in women following supplements and liver.” Human & Experimental Toxicology 13.1 (1994): 33-43.
Gannon, Bryan M., Camille Jones, and Saurabh Mehta. “Vitamin A requirements in pregnancy and lactation.” Current Developments in Nutrition 4.10 (2020): nzaa142.
Wilson, James G., Carolyn B. Roth, and Josef Warkany. “An analysis of the syndrome of malformations induced by maternal vitamin A deficiency. Effects of restoration of vitamin A at various times during gestation.” American Journal of Anatomy 92.2 (1953): 189-217
McGivern, Mark R., et al. “Epidemiology of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in Europe: a register-based study.” Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition 100.2 (2015): F137-F144.
Yang, Wei, et al. “Nutrient intakes in women and congenital diaphragmatic hernia in their offspring.” Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology 82.3 (2008): 131-138.
Allen, Lindsay H., and Marjorie Haskell. “Estimating the potential for vitamin A toxicity in women and young children.” The Journal of nutrition 132.9 (2002): 2907S-2919S.
Russell, Robert M. “The vitamin A spectrum: from deficiency to toxicity.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 71, no. 4 (2000): 878–884.