Desiccated Liver: The Forgotten Supplement

If I asked you what your favourite supplement was besides Whey Protein, what would you say it was? I think I’d probably hear something along the lines of Nitric Oxide type products or Creatine delivery systems. Granted, this new wave of supplements are fantastic and definitely have a place within any serious minded athlete’s repertoire.

But did you know that there is one supplement that has of late been placed on the back burner to make way for these other supplements I’ve just touched on? This supplement has been clinically shown to be incredibly effective and, in comparison to a lot of the supplements on the market, is much more cost effective?

That supplement is Desiccated Liver. Liver in general provides heme iron, high quality protein and B vitamins which by our terms as hard working athletes meets the increased nutritional requirements in one go. However, cooking and consuming liver as a meat source decreases the bio-availability of the above elements, so liver in the desiccated format is far more superior for absorption.

Endurance athletes in recent times have discovered the benefits of desiccated liver and the heme iron found within. Heme iron is responsible for haemoglobin’s ability to carry oxygen within red blood cells; which means that when the need for energy is drawn from the foods we eat an ‘oxidation’ process occurs in the body. If we can improve the amount of oxidation performed in the body then we can offset fatigue that comes from intense and long sessions of exercise.

‘Sports Anemia’ as it’s called occurs when muscle fibers are damaged during intense exercise training. If there is an inadequate protein intake then the body draws upon haemoglobins and red blood cells as a source of protein to repair the muscles. Athletes with low haemoglobin levels do not perform as well at endurance events. This could also be apparent in people who train or exercise for more than two hours in any one session.

Here is food for thought, iron deficiency is widely recognised as the most common in the world and as many as 22% of American women are iron deficient, as well as people who follow a mainly vegetarian diet. However there is also evidence to suggest that intense exercise also induces iron deficiency.

Liver is also a fabulous source of vitamin B12 and B12 and plays a massive role in assisting the body with the burning of fats and carbohydrates. It can also be used in the prevention of heart disease.

As with any ‘mineral’ based supplement, if you are going to give it a try then always keep to the directions on the label and do not exceed the stated dose.