Iron is an essential mineral found in all cells of the body and integral to a variety of processes. But iron deficiency is common; research shows that it affects 1 in 4 people in the United States.
Iron deficiency causes weakness and fatigue, among other symptoms. If you’re looking to increase the amount of iron in your diet, chicken and beef liver are good sources to explore. Read on to learn more.
Iron Content of Chicken Liver vs. Beef Liver
There are two forms of dietary iron: heme, which comes from animal sources, and nonheme, which comes from plant sources. Heme iron, the form found in chicken and beef liver, is more easily absorbed by the body, compared with the nonheme form.
Chicken liver is a rich source of iron. Beef liver also provides a good amount of iron, but, generally speaking, it contains about half as much iron in one portion as chicken liver does.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that one 3-ounce (oz) portion of cooked and simmered chicken liver contains 9.86 milligrams (mg) of iron. Braised beef liver, on the other hand, has 6.54 mg of iron in one 4-oz serving, according to the USDA.
Dietary Reference Intakes
For adults between the ages of 19 and 50, the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements recommends 8 mg of iron per day for adult males and 18 mg per day for adult females. The organization also recommends pregnant people get 27 mg daily, and people who are lactating should have between 9 and 10 mg per day, depending on age.
This means that for adults who aren’t pregnant or lactating, one serving of cooked chicken liver could cover anywhere from half to all of a person’s daily iron requirements.
But remember, there is such a thing as too much iron. The tolerable upper limit of intake for iron is 40 mg per day for anyone under the age of 14 and 45 mg for all other age groups. Toxicity can occur with high iron intake.
