Guideline / position statementindependent cross-checkfull text checked I-MEAT-07 standard review
NHS: avoid liver during pregnancy
Foods to avoid in pregnancy (NHS)
Overview
NHS (UK National Health Service). NHS website accessed 2026
Liver has high vitamin A, which can harm the baby.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: high
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Pregnancy food advice.
- How was the study done?
Official guidance.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Pregnant women.
- What was actually found?
Avoid liver.
- How large was the observed effect?
n/a
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Pregnant followers should not eat liver freely.
- What are the study's limitations?
UK guidance.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Contradicts unrestricted liver.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Advice for non-pregnant adults.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- NHS (UK National Health Service)
- Journal
- NHS website
- Year
- accessed 2026
- Identifier
- Verification
- verified – Fetched https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/ on 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- full text
- Conflicts of interest and funding
UK government health service.
2. Research question
Which foods should be avoided in pregnancy?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Guideline / position statement – Official public health guidance.
- Population
Pregnant women
- Country
United Kingdom
- Period
Current page
- Sample size
n/a
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
n/a
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Liver and liver products
- Comparator
n/a
- Endpoints
Fetal harm.
- Statistical methods
n/a
5. Actual results
- Results
Lists 'liver and liver products' under meat foods to avoid; states: 'Liver and foods containing liver have high levels of vitamin A, which can be harmful to your baby.'
- Absolute risks
not applicable
- Authors' conclusion
Avoid liver in pregnancy.
6. Strengths
- Official guidance
7. Weaknesses
- UK-specific; no evidence summary on page
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- low
- Rationale
Official guidance.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
n/a
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Contradicts C-MEAT-03 for pregnancy.
11. Independent contrary findings
n/a
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
High.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Clear official advice.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | high |
| Risk of bias | low |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
n/a
15. Linked fact checks
- Liver and organ meats (lamb liver, beef liver, trotters, head meat, tripe/mumbar, veal) are allowed without a stated frequency limit. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim