Liver (food)

Organ meat

What's inside liver (food), and where does it go in your body?

One of the most nutrient-dense foods: vitamin A, B12, iron, copper, folate. So dense that preformed vitamin A can exceed safe limits.

Vitamin A

A 100 g serving of beef liver can exceed the adult upper limit for preformed vitamin A. Pregnant people are often advised to avoid it.

Evidence & sources

• Beef liver contains about 6,500 mcg RAE vitamin A per 3 oz (85 g), more than double the adult upper limit of 3,000 mcg. Evidence: established. Known: USDA data cited by NIH. Unknown: — Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids — Health Professional Fact Sheet (Current revision).

Connected topics

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B12
• Iron
• Copper
• Folate (B9)
• The Dose Makes the Poison

Try it in your browser

General education only, not medical advice. Drafted Oct 2026 · pending qualified expert review.