Organ Based Prenatals: Yay or Nay?

This post was collaborated with Maddie Regev, a nutraceutical expert, and director of product research, development, and education for Nutra Axis Labs. The following is for informational purposes only.

Organ-based supplements have become increasingly popular, especially in the natural health space. They often use ingredients like beef liver and bone marrow to naturally provide nutrients such as iron, vitamin A, B vitamins, and choline. If you prefer a more "food-first" approach to supplementation, we completely understand why these products are appealing.

The question isn't whether organs are nutritious (they absolutely are!!!). The real question is whether an organ-based prenatal, by itself, provides everything your body needs during pregnancy.

The challenge with organ-based prenatals

One of the biggest differences between an organ-based prenatal and a traditional prenatal vitamin is consistency. With a standard prenatal, manufacturers formulate specific amounts of nutrients so you know exactly how much folate, iron, choline, iodine, and other vitamins and minerals you're getting in each serving.

With organ-based products, nutrients occur naturally. That means their levels can vary depending on factors like:

• The animal itself

• Its diet

• The season

• Processing methods

• The specific organs used

  
  

While some companies test for quality and safety, not all disclose standardized nutrient amounts for every key pregnancy nutrient. That can make it difficult to know whether you're actually meeting pregnancy recommendations.

Choline is a great example

Research continues to support the importance of choline during pregnanct. The current recommendation is 450 mg per day.

Beef liver naturally contains choline, which is one reason it's often included in organ-based prenatals. The challenge is that many organ-based prenatals don't disclose how much choline the finished product actually contains. They also may not disclose the exact amount of liver included in their blend.

While drying liver concentrates its nutrients by removing water, without analyzing and reporting the choline content of the finished product, it's impossible to know how much it contributes toward that 450 mg daily recommendation.

Could it contribute? Absolutely!! But we can't confidentally say it's enough without the data.

Can we confidently say it's enough? Not without the data.

Vitamin A deserves extra attention

Vitamin A is one nutrient where the source really matters.

There are two main forms:

Preformed vitamin A (retinol) found in liver, cod liver oil, dairy products, eggs, some supplements. This is the form that can become excessive during pregnancy.

Provitamin A (beta-carotene) found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, and other colorful fruits and veggies. Your body only converts beta-carotene into vitamin A as needed, so it is not associated with birth defects from excessive intake. This is one reason many prenatal vitamins obtain some or all of their vitamin A from beta-carotene.

Why this matters with organ-based supplements

A gram of dried liver contains far less vitamin A than eating a large serving of fresh liver, so an organ-based prenatal alone is unlikely to contain the extremely high amounts associated with toxicity.

However, here's where things become more complicated...because if the manufacturer doesn't disclose the analyzed vitamin A content of the finished product, you don't actually know how much preformed vitamin A you're consuming.

That uncertainty becomes more important if you're also getting vitamin A from other sources. Individually, each source may seem reasonable. But together, they can add up.

So, would we recommend an organ-based prenatal?

We don't think organ-based prenatals are "bad." In fact, we understand why many moms are drawn to them. If someone loves the philosophy behind using organs as part of their nutrition, we wouldn't necessarily discourage it.

However, based on current evidence and pregnancy nutrient recommendations, we also wouldn't recommend relying on an organ-based prenatal as the sole source of prenatal nutrition without carefully evaluating the rest of the diet and discussing additional supplementation with a qualified healthcare provider.

Our biggest wish

Our biggest concern isn't that organ based supplements exist, it's that many companies don't provide verified, standardized amounts of the nutrients that matter most during pregnancy.

As moms, we're trying to make informed decisions for ourselves and our babies. We shouldn't have to guess whether we're getting enough choline, iodine, folate, or vitamin A.

We'd love to see more organ-based companies invest in testing and transparently report standardized nutrient amounts for every batch. That would allow more people to enjoy the benefits of organ-based nutrition while making evidence-based decisions about whether additional supplementation is needed.

At the end of the day, our goal isn't to tell anyone what prenatal they have to take or should take. It's simply to help moms understand what they're getting, what they might still be missing, and how to make the most informed choice possible.