Beef Organ Supplements: Looking Past the Hype

Organ meat is making a comeback in the United States, including in the form of supplements. But should you be taking them? We asked three experts.

Soaring food prices during World War II and the risk of protein deficiencies made Americans eat more organ meat, which was previously considered low-class or rural foods.

Eighty years, a global pandemic, and rampant inflation later, interest in organ meat, also called offal, seems to be growing again. This time, organ meat is promoted by wellness influencers practicing carnivore, ketogenic, and other low-carbohydrate diets.

Despite embracing the ancestral lifestyle, these influencers offer something that didn't exist back in the day — supplements, which come in capsules, powders, and gummies. The global market for beef organ supplements alone was valued at $598 million in 2023 and is estimated to grow to $881 million by 2030.

While beef organ meat is packed with micronutrients, experts warn that consuming these supplements may pose health risks to some.

Benefits of beef organ supplements

Certain organ meats, such as beef liver, are generally considered rich in vitamins and minerals, especially in vitamin A, B12, iron, and folate, according to Sandra Vigelienė, BSc, a WellnessPulse content researcher with a background in global nutrition.

B vitamins, Vitamin D, and zinc, all found in beef organ meat, can help sustain muscle growth and repair and support high energy levels, says Marybeth Mitcham, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at George Mason University. Moreover, consuming beef organ meat may also support healthy skin, thanks to its collagen content, and brain health, as it contains the essential nutrient choline.

Marketed as containing even more concentrated forms of these micronutrients, beef organ supplements promise health benefits ranging from immune health support to digestive health. Both are common health concerns in the United States, where 11% of people take supplements for immune health, and 40% have life-disrupting digestive troubles.

However, beef organ supplements may not necessarily help address these health issues.

Sandra Vigelienė, BSc

Health content researcher

There are no high-quality clinical trials directly evaluating beef organ supplements on health, which means that most of the proposed benefits of such supplements are inferred, but not proven in supplement form.

Risks of beef organ supplements

Dietary supplements in the U.S. are regulated more like foods than medications, meaning that there's less rigorous oversight over their ingredients and labeling, experts tell WellnessPulse.

A study that assessed 49 bovine liver supplements found that as many as 85% of them had noncompliant nutrient content information on the product label. Vigelienė says noncompliant nutrient claims are a concern for consumers who rely on them to assess a product's proposed nutritional benefits.

Moreover, the long-term use of concentrated forms of certain vitamins and minerals in high amounts could potentially lead to toxicity or interact with certain medications, resulting in adverse effects.

For example, prolonged and excessive intake of vitamin A can result in significant organ damage, including the liver, bones, central nervous system, and skin.

The recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin A is 900 mcg for adult men and 700 mcg for adult women who aren't pregnant or breastfeeding. A serving of cooked beef liver (3.5 oz or 100 g) contains 7,740 mcg of vitamin A, exceeding the RDI by 8.6 times for men and 11 times for women.

Another concern with beef organ supplements is the sourcing, says Mitcham. As organ meats, especially the liver, act as filters in the body, it's important to ensure they do not contain heavy metals.

David S. Seres, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, points out that there is no uniform definition of a beef organ supplement, making it hard to conclude its benefits. Meanwhile, no studies are testing the levels of metals in these products, which Seres calls 'very concerning.'

Consumers should also be aware of increased cholesterol from the frequent consumption of organ meat, Mitcham says. Having high cholesterol levels may raise the risk of heart disease.

A serving of beef liver (3 ½ oz, 100 mg) contains 389 mg of dietary cholesterol, exceeding the previous 300 mg daily limit set by the previous nutritional guidelines. Current dietary advice for Americans is to keep dietary cholesterol consumption "as low as possible without compromising the nutritional adequacy of the diet."

If you decide to purchase beef organ supplements, read the ingredient list carefully, Vigelienė says. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits using certain organs, such as cattle brain, skull, eyes, spinal cord, tail bones, and parts of the hip area of cattle 30 months and older, in supplements.

This is because of the association with bovine spongiform encephalopathy ('Mad cow disease'), which is related to a human variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain condition.

These individuals should be especially careful with beef liver supplements, according to Vigelienė:

• People with liver or kidney conditions
• People taking medications that may interact with certain vitamins and minerals
• People with iron overload disorders
• Children, pregnant individuals, and those with autoimmune diseases

Do you need a daily supplement?

Beef organ supplements are just a drop in the ocean of dietary supplements, the U.S. market size of which accounted for $71.60 billion in 2024. However, doctors warn that dietary supplements may be less beneficial than we think.

Seres tells WellnessPulse that most randomized control studies failed to find health benefits in supplements, while a large body of evidence demonstrates their risks. The exception to this rule comes when there is an actual deficiency, for example, due to significant dietary restrictions or drug effects, and is diagnosed by a medical practitioner.

So many of the claims made for supplementation are based on stringing unrelated findings together and disregarding the fact that biology is complex and full of adaptive mechanisms that can negate one potential pathway that looks like it might be beneficial.

David S. Seres, MD

Manufacturers, including some that produce beef organ supplements, offer products that help reduce oxidative stress. Seres says that while oxidative stress is responsible for some of the processes of aging, it is also protective and stimulates immune responses.

The takeaway

People who are considering taking any supplements, including beef organ supplements, should consult with their healthcare providers, experts tell WellnessPulse.

Mitcham says asking a medical professional first is key, not just because of the potential concerns already mentioned, "but to avoid any toxicity or contraindications from consuming too many supplements or having interactions with pharmaceuticals."