"liver provides . . . An unidentified anti-fatigue factor."

Because of its Retinol A content and its saturation of important Vitamin Bs, liver maybe the best food for any kind of repair--from injury, from illnesses, from regular sports workouts.  

Two authors that I love are Sarah Corriher and her brother C. Thomas Corriher over at Healthwyze.  Ever since I followed their recommendation on removing a kidney stone with lemon juice and olive oil I was a convert.  From that point on I could not believe the wealth of knowledge they have at their site.  And it is well-visited and well-viewed.  They have plenty of healthy traffic, commentors and a few products to sell.  I love their site.  

At their site I found an article on the nutritional benefits of liver.  They argued that because the livers are the organ that filters out disease and toxic substances that the livers themselves may not be so edible.  The article was titled "Quick Tip: You Should Never Eat Liver."  I commented about it here. And I think that they are right.  That the organ meats, and especially the liver, should not be eaten regularly. But gosh darn it all if I don't feel better and fortified after each time I eat chicken livers.  I always feel better. Whether that is because I am on occasion Vitamin B deficient I don't know.  But every time I eat chicken livers my muscles and nerves feel great.  

Writing for Weston A. Price, Lynn Razaitis refers to livers as "a sacred food."  She writes:

Since history began, “liver has ranked above all other offal as one of the most prized culinary delights. Its heritage is illustrious–whether savored by young warriors after a kill or mixed with truffles and cognac for fine patés de foie gras.” So write Margaret Gin and Jana Allen, authors of Innards and Other Variety Meats (San Francisco, 1974).

Then a list of the nutritional benefits are posted:

So what makes liver so wonderful? Quite simply, it contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. In summary, liver provides:

·         

    1.  An excellent source of high-quality protein.

    2.  Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A.

    3.  All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12. 

    4.  One of our best sources of folic acid.

    5.  A highly usable form of iron.

    6.  Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper.

    7.  An unidentified anti-fatigue factor.

    8.   CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function.  

    9.  good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA.

The author of the Weston A. Price article, Lynn Razaitis, in fact, addresses the toxicity issue raised by Corriher:

In spite of widespread tradition and abundant scientific evidence on the health benefits of liver, conventional nutritionists and government agencies now warn against its consumption. The putative dangers of eating liver stem from two concerns–the assumption that liver contains many toxins and the high level of vitamin A that it provides.

One of the roles of the liver is to neutralize toxins (such as drugs, chemical agents and poisons); but the liver does not store toxins. Poisonous compounds that the body cannot neutralize and eliminate are likely to lodge in the fatty tissues and the nervous system. The liver is not a storage organ for toxins but it is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). These nutrients provide the body with some of the tools it needs to get rid of toxins.

Of course, we should consume liver from healthy animals–cattle, lamb, buffalo, hogs, chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. The best choice is liver from animals that spend their lives outdoors and on pasture. If such a premier food is not available, the next choice is organic chicken, beef and calves liver. If supermarket liver is your only option, the best choice is calves liver, as in the U.S. beef cattle do spend their first months on pasture. Beef liver is more problematical as beef cattle are finished in feed lots. Livers from conventionally raised chicken and hogs are not recommended.

[end of Razaitis' remarks]

So according to Razaitis, the liver itself does not "store toxins"; instead, it "neutralizes them.  Does this mean then that the toxicity of liver meats is exaggerated or innocuous?  I mean how many people have gotten sick from eating chicken liver?  I have not.  So Corriher's argument is interesting, but it is not convincing.  Given my experience with eating chicken livers, I find them to be absolutely necessary for health and longevity.

I am sold on liver.  I like its Vitamin A content and how rich it is in Vitamin B.  For strength, it may be unbeatable.  If you are an athlete who is getting beaten up and dragged on the basketball court you may want to consider incorporating the kinds of liver recommended by Razaitis and Weston A. Price.