When it comes to nutritional supplements, the name “Organ Complex” may not be as attractive as “Vitamin C”. But you may hear more recently.

Advertisements for organ complex supplements can be seen everywhere on the Internet, claiming to have the status of a superfood, common terms on ground beef packaging, such as “grass-fed” or “grass-fed”, and some terms, Such as “gland”, “stem” and “ancestor.

So what exactly are these pills and is it worth their generally high price tag? Organ complex supplements actually contain dried or lyophilized, powdered, and encapsulated organs, usually from dairy cows.

This sounds disgusting, but the product manufacturer claims that these pills provide.

A way to benefit from nutrient-rich organ meat without having to chew a slice of fried liver or a bunch of grilled kidneys.

Although organ meat is considered nutritious and unpalatable, at least among American consumers. There are few published studies on how these multi-organ supplements affect human health.

Pieter Cohen, MD, assistant professor of medicine who studies dietary supplements at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said. “Even if human supplement research has never been done, supplements can be marketed as a way to benefit your health.

So It is impossible to believe that animal organ supplements have any health benefits. What is more worrying is that these products do not require human safety testing before marketing.

 Even if they appear to be safe and effective when reading the label. It is not There may be sufficient evidence to support these claims.”

The Lowdown on Organ Complex Supplements and What They May Do for Your Health

In many parts of the world, eating beef offal is a normal practice and even a delicacy. These offal are collectively referred to as offal or sometimes “mixed meat.

According to the latest data recorded in 2013 and published in Nutritionist Today in May 2020. The U.S. visceral consumption ranks 171st out of 175 countries/regions in the world.

This is not the case in the United States. The food we consume less than 1 pound per person per year is mainly hot dogs and sausages.

Recently, however, there has been a mild revival of offal in gourmets. Such as crispy fried pork head, salted beef tongue, and sweet bread. (The internal organs of the thymus and pancreas) Marsala appears on the menu of trendy restaurants. As described in an article in “Food and Wine” in May 2017.

Meat suppliers (who are willing to sell organs at high prices) and some health advocates are paying more attention to these foods.

According to Food Navigator, in January 2020, a British organization called Public Health Collaboration launched the “Organuary” campaign, urging consumers to eat organ meat twice a week throughout the month.

 The event resumed in January 2021, and the British Independent Meat Suppliers Association supported the Visceral Festival.

According to the founder of January, the internal organs deserve more attention due to their nutritional status of the organ. For example, according to the January website, the heart muscle is rich in CoQ10, a powerful antioxidant.

The kidneys supply selenium. Selenium is a mineral that plays a role in immune function and the production of sex hormones. Beef liver contains vitamins A and B12, as well as iron and folic acid.

How Do Organ Complex Supplements Compare to Whole Foods?

In many parts of the world, eating beef offal is a normal practice and even a delicacy. These offal are collectively referred to as offal or sometimes “mixed meat.

According to the latest data recorded in 2013 and published in Nutritionist Today in May 2020, the U.S. visceral consumption ranks 171st out of 175 countries/regions in the world.

The food we consume less than 1 pound per person per year is mainly hot dogs and sausages. Recently, however, there has been a mild revival of offal in gourmets, such as crispy fried pork head, salted beef tongue, and sweet bread.

Marsala appears on the menu of trendy restaurants, as described in an article in “Food and Wine” in May 2017. Meat suppliers (who are willing to sell organs at high prices) and some health advocates are paying more attention to these foods.

According to FoodNavigator, in January 2020, a British organization called Public Health Collaboration launched the “Organuary” campaign, urging consumers to eat organ meat twice a week throughout the month.

 The event resumed in January 2021, and the British Independent Meat Suppliers Association supported the Visceral Festival.

The internal organs deserve more attention due to their nutritional status of the organ. For example, according to the Organuary website, the heart muscle is rich in CoQ10, a powerful antioxidant.

The kidneys supply selenium. Selenium is a mineral that plays a role in immune function and the production of sex hormones. Beef liver contains vitamins A and B12, as well as iron and folic acid.

What Are the Reported Health Benefits of Organ Complex Supplements?

Manufacturers of organ complex supplements claim that their products have unique health benefits. We handle some of these statements professionally, and here is your response:

Disclaimer: Organ complex supplements provide peptides and enzymes that are important for health.

 Peptides are amino acid chains and are a component of protein. They have multiple functions in your body, such as promoting wound healing or muscle growth. Because they are smaller than protein, they are easier to absorb and start working faster.

 Although we can get peptides from foods and supplements, they are usually broken down by stomach acid during digestion.

We can’t absorb peptides well,” said Victor J. Bernet, MD, director of the Department of Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and president of the American Thyroid Association.

 Dr. Bernet researched supplements containing animal thyroid tissue and animal adrenal gland tissue. “They break down in the stomach and never enter the blood,” he said.

This is why peptides like insulin are administered by injection or inhalation, rather than in pill form.” Enzymes often face the same fate.

 Claim: Supplements containing animal spleen can rebuild blood and strengthen immunity.

Although the functions of the human spleen include removing old red blood cells from the circulation and increasing the level of white blood cells in the body, there is no evidence that spleen extract supports these efforts, according to EBSCO Information Services Nature And alternative treatment database.

There is not enough data to support that spleen extract is useful for treating health problems,” he pointed out.

Claim: Organ complex supplements containing adrenal glands can combat “adrenal fatigue”,

 or “adrenal fatigue”, that is, exhaustion, cravings for sugar, and caffeine are signs of adrenal wear; according to the Cedars Sinai Health System in Los Angeles, this is A medical myth. In a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in March 2018,

 Bernet and others discovered adrenal support supplements, including two supplements made from animal adrenal gland tissue, containing thyroid hormones; most of the supplements in the study The agent also contains steroid hormones.

Burnett said the extra hormones may be useless and can even cause problems, such as causing the adrenal glands to become less active. “It’s like the oil in your car,” he explained.

“You need enough hormones, and your body usually produces these hormones. But too much will not help. “If you feel abnormally tired, it is a better idea to see a doctor.

“People who seek symptomatic treatment by taking supplements may overlook problems such as sleep apnea or chronic fatigue syndrome,” Burnett said. “We have treatments and strategies that can really help these conditions.”

Claim: Organ complex supplements support the health of the liver, heart, and digestive system. “As far as I know, there are not many good data that show that these things are as they say.

Do that,” Burnett said. “If you have enough nutrients in your diet, do you still need more? They just float. It has only a certain number of receptors on its cells.

If you lack, I think basic multivitamins or the right supplements may be very reasonable. But just taking steps to make your body work better is not helpful. “

What About Safety Concerns?

Consumers should understand that in the United States, supplement manufacturers do not have to prove product safety, said Jaydee Hanson, policy director of the Center for Food Safety (CFS), a consumer protection organization in Washington, DC.

“The dietary supplement industry is largely unregulated,” he said. In addition, CFS warns that supplements containing bovine brain, spleen, kidneys, and other “glands” may pose a very small but serious risk of degenerative bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls imported livestock parts, Hanson said the lack of oversight of supplements can cause problems.

“The FDA should require supplement manufacturers to test BSE. If they do not, we believe that consumers should avoid them out of very cautious considerations.

Final ruling: Should you try organ complex supplements?.

I still worry that consumers who are told by doctors that they have health problems are turning to these products instead of proven treatments.”