Liver: forgotten superfood or vitamin A time bomb

Liver: the superfood that fixes your eyesight or poisons you

A user claims that after decades without eating liver, his myopia went from 3 to 0.75 diopters in a matter of weeks. Nutritional miracle or coincidence? Liver concentrates more vitamin A than any other food, but also copper and toxins. The debate over bringing offal back as a superfood runs into two realities: the risk of hypervitaminosis and the lack of control over what the animals were fed.

The nutrient you won't find in plants

Liver is the densest source of preformed vitamin A (retinol), essential for vision, the immune system and skin. A 100-gram serving of beef liver covers the recommended daily intake several times over. It also provides copper, iron and B vitamins, including B12. Those who defend eating it weekly argue that without organ meats it is hard to get certain nutrients from lean meat or vegetables alone. Plant-based vitamin A (beta-carotene) converts inefficiently in the body, especially in certain genetic profiles.

The real risk of toxicity

The case of the cat that developed cirrhosis after eating 300 grams of liver a week illustrates the danger of vitamin A hypervitaminosis. In humans, excessive consumption can cause liver damage, intracranial hypertension and bone problems. Recommendations range from once to twice a week, provided the animals were pasture-raised or fed a controlled diet. The real problem, some point out, is not the liver itself but the drugs and contaminants accumulated in the animal's organ.

Cheap offal, but where does it come from?

Beef liver can be found at prices around 10 euros per kilo, well below prime cuts. However, the origin is a concern: intensive farming uses antibiotics and feed that concentrate in the liver. Advocates of responsible consumption stress the importance of looking for organic or pasture-raised products. The disappearance of traditional offal shops makes it hard to find organ meats of quality and clear traceability.

The debate over liver reflects a cultural shift: for some it is an undervalued superfood; for others, a toxic by-product of industrial farming. With no official data measuring the impact of liver contaminants on health, everyone chooses their own risk.

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