Chicken liver: dense in vitamin A and B12, with little trial evidence

The only randomized trial we found on chicken liver as food gave it to pregnant women in Indonesia, and it did not show a benefit. In 274 mother and infant pairs across 28 villages, crackers made with chicken liver had no significant effect on infant growth to 5 months. The women ate only 2.5 to 3.6 oz (72 to 103 g) a week of the planned 525 g, so this tested the offer more than the liver. Late-pregnancy hemoglobin was 12.11 g/dL with liver crackers and 12.22 with fortified wheat crackers (difference -0.12, 95% CI -0.37 to 0.14), and the comparison crackers carried about as much iron. What liver does have is density. USDA lists raw chicken liver at 16.6 micrograms B12, 3,296 micrograms vitamin A and 588 micrograms folate per 3.5 oz (100 g). UK tables give 9,700 micrograms retinol, and why the two datasets differ is not documented. That much preformed vitamin A matters in pregnancy. The adult upper limit of 3,000 micrograms a day covers food and supplements together, and 3.5 oz (100 g) of raw chicken liver alone is above it by the USDA figure. One liver weighs about 22 g.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw chicken liver has about 16.6 micrograms vitamin B12, 3,296 micrograms vitamin A and 588 micrograms folate per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA reference data. — Chicken, liver, all classes, raw (USDA SR Legacy FDC 171060) Evidence E source
  B12 16.58 mcg (691% DV), vitamin A 3,296 mcg RAE (366% DV), folate 588 mcg (147% DV) per 3.5 oz (100 g); across 3 USDA records vitamin A 3,296-4,296 mcg
• UK composition tables give raw chicken liver about three times the vitamin A of the USDA figure, 9,700 micrograms retinol per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 35 micrograms B12 and 9.2 mg iron. — Liver, chicken, raw (CoFID 18-411) Evidence E source
  Retinol 9,700 mcg, B12 35 mcg, folate 995 mcg, iron 9.2 mg, 92 calories, protein 17.7 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey database one chicken liver weighs about 22 g, and a cup of cooked livers is 140 g. — Liver, chicken (FNDDS 25110450) Evidence E source
  1 liver 22 g; 1 cup 140 g; quantity not specified 85 g

What your body absorbs

• Vitamin A in liver is the preformed kind, and the body can absorb 75 to 100 percent of retinol from food, against 10 to 30 percent of beta-carotene. — General population Evidence E source
  Retinol absorption 75-100%; beta-carotene 10-30%

What cooking and storage change

• In an English hotel outbreak, chicken liver pate carried a crude relative risk of about 13 for Campylobacter illness, even though simple cooking methods reliably kill the bacteria. — Guests at a Christmas set-menu meal, North Yorkshire, 2017; 19 cases (n = 19 cases) Evidence C source
  Crude RR 12.95 for chicken liver pate, with dose-response

What it does to your health

• In a cluster randomized trial of 274 Indonesian mother-infant pairs, crackers made with chicken liver did not improve infant growth, as women ate only 2.5 to 3.6 oz (72 to 103 g) a week of the planned 525 g. — Pregnant women aged 19-35 from 7-13 weeks gestation to 5 months postpartum, 28 villages, 137 dyads per group (n = 274) Evidence B source
  No significant effect on birth length, attained length, LAZ or length velocity; adherence 72-103 g/week vs 525 g/week planned

Safety, limits and interactions

• In an Australian college outbreak, people who ate chicken liver pate were almost three times as likely to get gastroenteritis, and Campylobacter was found in the pate. — 235 guests at a catered function, 56 cases, 7 lab-confirmed C. jejuni (n = 235) Evidence C source
  Adjusted RR 2.80 (95% CI 1.26 to 6.19)
• In a nursing home outbreak affecting 21 percent of 580 residents, cooked chicken livers were contaminated by being placed in a bowl of raw liver juices. — Residents of a 580-bed nursing home, Brooklyn, New York (n = 580) Evidence C source
  119 ill (21%); pureed diet OR 17.6 for Salmonella; implicated chopped-liver salad
• In Tucson grocery stores, 69.6 percent of retail chicken livers carried Clostridium perfringens, though none of the isolates had the toxin gene. — Retail chicken livers, Tucson, Arizona Evidence C source
  69.6% culture positive; all type A, cpe-negative
• In 140 retail shops in Nepal, 24.3 percent of broiler chicken livers carried E. coli and 16.4 percent Salmonella, most of them multidrug resistant. — Broiler chicken liver samples from 140 retail meat shops, Bharatpur, Nepal (n = 140) Evidence C source
  E. coli 24.3%, Salmonella 16.4%; MDR 94.1% of E. coli and 73.9% of Salmonella isolates

Who this works differently for

• Twin infants fed 4.2 oz (120 g) of chicken liver a day for four months developed vitamin A poisoning with bulging fontanelles, and recovered once vitamin A sources were stopped. — Twin female infants, 120 g chicken liver homogenate daily for 4 months (n = 2) Evidence D source
  Chronic vitamin A intoxication; 120 g homogenate contained 36,000 IU vitamin A; authors suggest no more than 60 g once weekly for infants
• NIH advises that preformed vitamin A above the upper limit can cause birth defects, and that pregnant or breastfeeding women should not take more than 3,000 mcg RAE a day from supplements. — Women who are or might be pregnant and lactating women Evidence E source
  Upper limit for preformed vitamin A 3,000 mcg RAE/day in adults; liver is the richest food source

What is still unknown

• In the same trial, late-pregnancy hemoglobin was no different with chicken-liver crackers than with fortified wheat crackers, 12.11 vs 12.22 g/dL. — Pregnant Indonesian women at 35-36 weeks gestation, adjusted for hemoglobin at enrollment (n = 259) Evidence B source
  Hb 12.11 vs 12.22 g/dL; mean difference -0.12 g/dL (95% CI -0.37 to 0.14); low Hb 11.9% vs 11.3%

The bottom line

The vitamin A in liver is the preformed kind, retinol. NIH says the body can absorb 75 to 100 percent of retinol from food against 10 to 30 percent of beta-carotene, figures summarized from older studies, with liver itself not measured. NIH advises women who are or might be pregnant, and those breastfeeding, not to take more than 3,000 micrograms RAE a day of vitamin A supplements, since preformed vitamin A above the upper limit can cause birth defects. That advice is written for supplements, but the upper limit itself covers food and supplements together, and 3.5 oz (100 g) of raw chicken liver holds about 3,300 micrograms by the USDA figure. We found no study of eating liver in pregnancy. In a 1980 report, twin infants fed 4.2 oz (120 g) of chicken liver homogenate daily for four months developed vitamin A poisoning with vomiting and bulging fontanelles. The authors suggest infants get no more than 2.1 oz (60 g) of liver once a week. The second caution is undercooking. In an Australian college outbreak, people who ate chicken liver pate had 2.8 times the risk of gastroenteritis (adjusted RR 2.80, 95% CI 1.26 to 6.19), and Campylobacter was found in the pate. At a hotel Christmas meal in England with 19 cases, pate carried a crude relative risk of 12.95, and the authors note that simple cooking can kill all Campylobacter. In a Brooklyn nursing home, 119 of 580 residents fell ill after cooked, ground livers went into a bowl of raw liver juices. On the shelf, 69.6 percent of retail livers sampled in Tucson carried Clostridium perfringens, none of them with the toxin gene. In 140 retail shops in Nepal, 24.3 percent of broiler livers carried E. coli and 16.4 percent Salmonella, with most isolates resistant to several antibiotics. We found no data on chicken liver with medicines.

Sources

1. chlv-r1-11 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Chicken, liver, all classes, raw (FDC 171060, SR Legacy): vitamin B12 16.58 µg, vitamin A 3296 µg RAE, folate 588 µg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 171060 · checked 2026-09-29
2. chlv-r1-12 · CoFID, dataset
   Liver, chicken, raw (CoFID 18-411): Retinol 9700 µg; Vitamin B12 35.0 µg; Folate 995 µg; Iron 9.20 mg; Energy 92 kcal; Protein 17.7 g per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 18-411 (OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-09-29
3. chlv-r1-13 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Liver, chicken (FNDDS 25110450, fdc_id 2706154): 1 liver 22 g; 1 oz yields 20 g; 1 cup 140 g; Quantity not specified 85 g
   USDA FNDDS, FDC 2706154 (food code 25110450) · checked 2026-09-29
4. chlv-r1-05 · fact sheet
   The body might absorb up to 75% to 100% of retinol and, in most cases, 10% to 30% of beta-carotene from foods [17,18].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-29
5. chlv-r1-07 · outbreak cohort
   This outbreak highlights that despite evidence that simple cooking techniques can ensure that all campylobacter are killed during cooking, outbreaks continue to occur.
   Epidemiol Infect, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
6. chlv-r1-01 · RCT
   Intervention adherence was low (72-103 gr/week) compared to 525 gr/week (75 gr/day) recommended, with no significant intervention effect on growth outcomes, after adjusting for maternal height, sex, and human milk intake at 5 months.
   BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
7. chlv-r1-06 · outbreak cohort
   Univariate analysis showed a significant association with a chicken liver pâté entrée [relative risk (RR) 3·64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·03-6·52, P < 0·001], which retained significance after adjustment for confounding via multivariable analysis (adjusted RR 2·80, 95% CI 1·26-6·19, P = 0·01).
   Epidemiol Infect, 2016 · checked 2026-09-29
8. chlv-r1-08 · outbreak investigation
   A reported food-handling error occurred when ground, cooked chicken livers were placed in a bowl containing raw chicken-liver juices.
   Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1997 · checked 2026-09-29
9. chlv-r1-09 · prevalence survey
   Results showed that 69.6% of sampled retail chicken livers were culture positive for C. perfringens.
   Anaerobe, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
10. chlv-r1-10 · prevalence survey
    Prevalence was 24.3% for E. coli and 16.4% for citrate-positive Salmonella.
    J Food Prot, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
11. chlv-r1-03 · case report
    Twin female infants were fed 120 gm of chicken liver homogenate daily for four months. They developed irritability, vomiting, and bulging anterior fontanelles.
    Pediatrics, 1980 · checked 2026-09-29
12. chlv-r1-04 · fact sheet
    Experts advise women who are or might be pregnant and those who are lactating not to take high doses (more than 3,000 mcg RAE [10,000 IU] daily) of vitamin A supplements [1].
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-29
13. chlv-r1-02 · RCT
    At 35–36 weeks gestation, there was no significant difference in mean ± SD maternal Hb concentrations (MEC group 12.11 ± 0.8 gr/dL vs. SWC group 12.22 ± 0.9 gr/dL), after adjusting for maternal Hb at enrolment (Table 5).
    BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29