Measurement / residue studyindependent cross-checkabstract checked I-MEAT-106 standard review

One portion of beef liver can far exceed the vitamin A limit

Analysis of retinol concentrations in bovine liver and its habitual consumption by pregnant women.

Overview

Praxedes de Aquino RC et al.. Ann Nutr Metab 2006 · PMID 16809900 · DOI 10.1159/000094295

100 g of beef liver contained about 5,200-17,000 ug of vitamin A, well above the 3,000 ug daily safety limit.

Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate

Study explained simply

What did the researchers want to find out?: Measure vitamin A in beef liver.
How was the study done?: HPLC analysis plus survey.
How many people, animals or samples were studied?: 60 livers; 100 pregnant women.
What was actually found?: Very high retinol levels; many pregnant women ate liver.
How large was the observed effect?: 1.7-5.6 x UL per 100 g.
What do the results mean in everyday life?: Liver is very rich in vitamin A; pregnant women should avoid it.
What are the study's limitations?: Brazilian cattle.
What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?: Contradicts unlimited liver.
Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?: Moderate.
What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?: It does not measure birth outcomes.

Authors: Praxedes de Aquino RC et al.
Journal: Ann Nutr Metab
Year: 2006
Identifier: PMID 16809900 DOI 10.1159/000094295
Verification: verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-26; Crossref works API 2026-10-26
Retracted: no
Corrections: none
Extent checked: abstract only
Conflicts of interest and funding: Non-US government support (PubMed).

How much retinol does bovine liver contain and how often do pregnant women eat it?

Study design: Measurement / residue study – Food analysis (HPLC) plus food-frequency survey of pregnant women
Population: 60 bovine liver samples; 100 pregnant women, Natal, Brazil
Country: Brazil
Period: not stated in abstract
Sample size: 60 liver samples; 100 women
Inclusion and exclusion criteria: not detailed in abstract

Results: Retinol: 16,947.8 +/- 6,866.9 ug/100 g (Nelore breed) and 5,213.1 +/- 2,517.2 ug/100 g (undefined breed). 73% of pregnant women consumed liver; in 71% of cases the advice to eat liver came from qualified professionals.
Absolute risks: not reported
Authors' conclusion: Daily consumption of bovine liver is not recommended for pregnant women, regardless of the animal's genetic origin.

A 100 g portion provides 5,213-16,948 ug retinol, i.e. 1.7-5.6 times the EFSA UL (stats/C-MEAT-03_liver_vitaminA.py).

Quantifies why liver cannot be 'allowed without limit': one portion can exceed the vitamin A upper limit several-fold.

Retinol content varies widely by breed and feeding.

Retinol content of Egyptian liver not measured here.

Supports the safety concern.

Multidimensional assessment
Multidimensional assessment
Authenticity of the source	verified
Methodological quality	moderate
Risk of bias	some concerns
Precision of results	moderate
Directness	direct
Reproducibility	partly replicated
Consistency with the overall evidence	consistent
Regional transferability	moderate
Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)	not applicable

Retinol in Egyptian beef, buffalo and lamb liver.