Nutritional Supplements

What Are the Benefits of Beef Organ Supplements?

What Are the Benefits of Beef Organ Supplements?
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Updated on March 7, 2025
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Note: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve supplements for safety or effectiveness. Talk to a healthcare professional about whether a supplement is the right fit for your individual health, and about any potential drug interactions or safety concerns.

When it comes to nutritional supplements, beef organ isn’t as well known as vitamin C, but you may be hearing about it a lot more than you used to. Proponents argue that beef organ supplements can improve your immune system and boost your energy levels, among many other health claims.

Research supporting beef organ supplement benefits is lacking, and experts have safety concerns.

Read on for more claims about beef organ supplement benefits and whether the hype is justified.

What Are Beef Organ Supplements?

As their name suggests, beef organ supplements (also called beef organ complex supplements, referring to the blend of several organs) contain bovine (cattle) organs that are desiccated (freeze-dried) and powdered.

Many of these types of supplements contain beef liver plus other organs, such as:

  • Heart
  • Kidneys
  • Tongue
  • Pancreas
In much of the world, it’s common practice to eat the internal organs of livestock, which are known collectively as offal, or sometimes “variety meats.” Offal has not historically been as popular in the United States.

What Are the Purported Benefits of Beef Organ Supplements?

While organ meats are nutritionally rich, there’s little to no published research on how beef organ supplements affect health. That hasn’t stopped some manufacturers from making numerous claims about beef organ supplement benefits.

“Supplements can be sold as if they are good for your health even if there has never been a study of the supplement in humans,” says Pieter Cohen, MD, an associate assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, who studies dietary supplements with the Cambridge Health Alliance.

“So, we can’t trust that animal-organ supplements will have any health benefits,” he says. “Even more concerning, none of these products [are required] to be tested in humans for safety before they appear on the market. Even if it appears [from the label] that they might be safe and effective, it is unlikely that there is good evidence to support these claims.”

To that end, below is a breakdown of some of the health benefits you might see advertised by beef organ supplement companies and where the research currently stands.

Boosts Your Immune System

Meat and offal can be natural sources of antioxidants, including vitamins A and C, as well as immune system supporting minerals, such as zinc.

 Research supporting beef organ supplements as immune system boosters is currently lacking.

Promotes Healthy Skin and Muscles

Many producers of beef organ supplements advertise the inclusion of peptides to support skin and muscle health — noting, for example, that collagen peptides may help with recovery when combined with resistance training.

But while peptides exist in food and supplements, “We don’t absorb peptides well,” says Victor J. Bernet, MD, the chair of the division of endocrinology at Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville and a former president of the American Thyroid Association. Dr. Bernet has studied supplements containing animal thyroid tissue and animal adrenal gland tissue. “They’re broken down in your stomach and never get to your bloodstream,” he says. “That’s why a peptide like insulin is delivered by injection or inhalation, and not as a pill.”

Increases Energy Levels and Reduces ‘Adrenal Fatigue’

While not technically a diagnosable medical condition, adrenal fatigue describes symptoms of long-term physical and mental stress that people might self-diagnose and erroneously aim to remedy with supplements.

In one study, Bernet and others found that adrenal-support supplements, including two made from animal adrenal-gland tissue, contained thyroid hormone; most supplements in the study also contained steroid hormones.

 Bernet says extra hormones could be useless for suspected adrenal fatigue or even cause problems, like prompting your adrenal glands to become less active.

“It’s like oil in your car,” he explains. “You need enough hormones, which your body generally produces. But too much isn’t helpful.”

If you’re feeling unusually fatigued, a visit to your doctor is a better idea than beef organ supplements. “People who are seeking treatments for symptoms by taking supplements may be missing something like sleep apnea or chronic fatigue syndrome,” Bernet says. “We have treatments and strategies that can really help those conditions.”

Improves Digestive Health

Some beef organ supplements are specifically formulated for digestive health. These often contain enzymes, aimed at helping your body break down nutrients, such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Sometimes doctors prescribe digestive enzymes to people who have medical conditions that might cause enzyme insufficiency. But it’s not clear whether any over-the-counter supplements, including beef organ, work the same way.

Boosts Brain Health

Beef liver is an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that helps improve memory and cognitive function, and it can also help to regulate your mood and nervous system. But there is no clinical evidence that shows you can obtain these benefits from beef organ supplements. (Sometimes healthcare professionals recommend choline supplements to people who are deficient in this nutrient.)

Promotes Heart Health

In general, beef liver can be a good source of heart-healthy vitamin B12 and iron. There is no research to suggest that beef organ supplements offer the same benefits.

Beef Organ Supplements vs. Whole Foods: Are Organ Meats Good for You?

Offal is considered a good source of:

The key with eating offal, as with any other type of food, is moderation. Too many organ meats may not be suitable for people with a history of gout, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes because of its saturated fat and purine content. High consumption can also significantly increase your vitamin A and iron intake, so you may need to adjust your diet and supplements accordingly to prevent toxicity.

But how do beef organ supplements stack up to real organs? Without a lot of solid research, it’s hard to say. Several marketers claim their products, if taken daily, deliver the equivalent of about one serving of organ meats per week. But few list specific amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients contained in their supplements on their websites or on supplement packages, and some list nutrition information for organ meats themselves instead.

“To my knowledge there’s just not much good data proving these things do what they say they do,” Bernet says. “If you’ve got enough nutrients in your diet, do you need more? They just float around. You only have so many receptors on your cells. I think a basic multivitamin or the right supplement might be very reasonable if you’re deficient. But just taking things to make your body run better isn’t helpful.”

What to Know Before You Take Beef Organ Supplements

People considering beef organ supplements should understand that in the United States, supplement manufacturers do not have to prove product safety, says Jaydee Hanson, the policy director for the consumer advocacy group Center for Food Safety (CFS) in Washington, DC. “The dietary supplement industry is essentially unregulated,” he says.

In addition, the CFS warns that supplements containing cow brains, spleens, kidneys, and other “glandulars” pose a very small but serious risk of infection with the degenerative brain disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease.

Despite U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls on cattle-part imports, Hanson says a lack of supplement oversight could lead to problems. Research published in 2020 found that the majority of beef liver supplement manufacturers selling products in the United States made “noncompliant nutrient content claims.”

To that end, Hanson underscores that supplement companies who use any cattle parts should be transparent and “label their products as following the FDA guidelines.” In particular, he points to the most recent guidance from the FDA, which outlines prohibited cattle materials as well as required inspection processes.

It’s also important to talk with a healthcare provider if you have specific health concerns, rather than deciding to treat yourself with beef organ supplements. Aside from the safety risks, there’s a chance of erroneously taking too many micronutrients. The risk is even higher if you take a multivitamin and already eat a balanced diet.

“I don't recommend animal-organ supplements to my patients,” Cohen says. “I remain concerned that consumers who have been told they have a health problem by their doctor turn to these products instead of proven treatments.”

The Takeaway

  • Beef organ complex supplements contain desiccated organs, such as the liver and kidneys, of cattle.
  • Manufacturers claim beef organ supplements can bolster immunity, energy, and heart health.
  • There is a profound lack of clinical evidence supporting the advertised benefits of beef organ supplements, and there are also safety concerns.
  • Talk with a healthcare provider before taking beef organ supplements.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  2. Cooperman T. Safety and Uses of Desiccated Beef Liver. Consumer Lab. November 10, 2020.
  3. Sylte A. Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Offal. Colorado State University. January 2025.
  4. Macho-González A et al. Functional Meat Products as Oxidative Stress Modulators: A Review. Advances in Nutrition. July 2021.
  5. Kviatkovsky SA et al. Collagen Peptide Supplementation for Pain and Function: Is It Effective? Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. November 2022.
  6. Adrenal Fatigue. Endocrine Society. January 25, 2022.
  7. Akturk HK et al. Over-the-Counter "Adrenal Support" Supplements Contain Thyroid and Steroid-Based Adrenal Hormones. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. March 2018.
  8. Digestive Enzymes and Digestive Enzyme Supplements. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  9. Choline–Health Professional Fact Sheet. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. June 2, 2022.
  10. 4 Health Benefits of Beef Liver. Cleveland Clinic. July 5, 2023.
  11. Latoch A et al. Edible Offal as a Valuable Source of Nutrients in the Diet — a Review. Nutrients. May 2024.
  12. The Pros and Cons of Eating Organ Meat. Cleveland Clinic. August 4, 2022.
  13. Risks From Vitamin Supplements. Center for Food Safety.
  14. Silva AJ et al. Bovine Liver Supplement Labeling Practices and Compliance With U.S. Regulations. Journal of Dietary Supplements. November 2020.
  15. Use of Materials Derived From Cattle in Human Food and Cosmetics. Federal Register. March 18, 2016.
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Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES

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Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She completed requirements to become a registered dietitian at Valparaiso University in 1987 and completed a dietetic internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois, in 1988. 

Lynn brings her expertise in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change to her work in helping people reach their individual health and fitness goals. In addition to writing for Everyday Health, she has also written for websites and publications like Food and Health Communications, Today's Dietitian, iVillage.com, and Rodale Press. She has a passion for healthy, nutrient-dense, great-tasting food and for being outdoors as much as possible — she can often be found running or hiking, and has completed a marathon in every state.

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Sari Harrar is an award-winning freelance journalist specializing in health, medicine, and science. She writes regularly for Consumer Reports on Health, AARP The Magazine, AARP Bulletin, Reader’s Digest, and her work has also appeared in EatingWell, Dr. Oz The Good Life, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, O,—The Oprah Magazine, Shape, Fitness, Marie Claire, Today’s Dietitian, Better Homes and Gardens, and Organic Gardening. She was a National Magazine Awards finalist in 2017 and the recipient of a CASE/Harvard Medical School Journalism Fellowship. Harrar started and ran the Kids’ Health Blog for the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2013 and was health news editor for Prevention magazine from 1998 to 2004. She’s also written more than a dozen health books for Rodale, Reader’s Digest, and Hearst including, Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally (Rodale;2014).

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Kristeen Cherney, PhD, is a freelance writer, essayist, author, and poet with more than 15 years of health writing experience for digital platforms such as Healthline, The Mighty, and LiveStrong. She’s covered nutrition, women’s and children’s wellness issues, as well as specialized topics ranging from diabetes and thyroid disease to anxiety, depression, asthma, allergies, and skin conditions.

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