The description in the IOL store for dessicated liver states rats increased endurance 10 fold. Wow. I wonder if studies have been done on humans?
http://www.davedraper.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store _Code=DDI&Product_Cod e=SBIU40&am...
Another source of info:
Desiccated Liver – Informed Opinion
By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences. Posted April 27, 2011
With the enormous variety of sophisticated products currently available in the dietary supplement industry, you might take pause to consider where it all started. What were the very first dietary supplements? One of these first supplements was desiccated liver.
Desiccated liver (from a bovine source) provides a rich, naturally occurring source of B vitamins and amino acids which athletes and other active individuals have often used to support improved performance. It also contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and copper. In addition, some individuals have used desiccated liver to provide glandular sup port to their own livers.
The term “desiccated†essentially means dehydrated. Typically, this is done at a low temperature in order remove moisture and retain nutrient value once it has been tableted. Desiccated liver supplements should also be defatted since it is the fat portion o f the liver that tends to store toxins. Furthermore, the savvy consumer who wishes to use desiccated liver should look for a supplement derived from calves, since it is likely that far fewer toxins would be present compared to adult cattle that have had years to store more toxins.
So is desiccated liver’s historical use as an aid for enhancing energy deserved? Certainly desiccated liver is among the group of supplements that have been used by Olympic athletes since the 1950s to help them gain a competitive edge. (1) Also, consider that for decades, vitamin B12 shots have been administered by doctors to energize people. Many nutritionally-oriented physicians have also recommended desiccated liver to their patients since it B12 and iron, among a host of other nutrients essential to generating more energy and stamina. (2)Another author discussed experiments conducted by D.B. Ershoff, Ph.D. on laboratory animals. Reportedly, Dr. Ershoff supplemented the diets of the animals with desiccated liver, which increased their endurance by nearly 750%. (3) The answer to the energy question appears to be yes.
What a bout the use of desiccate d liver by some individuals to provide glandular support to their own livers—is there a scientific basis for this? Maybe. In one “test tub e†study, a liver extract fro m pigs was found to act synergistically with growth factors to stimulate the growth of liver cells. (4)
Of course critics have stated that the use of a glandular substance would have no benefit since it would have to be completely digested down into individual amino acids before the body could absorb them, and once that happened the body would not recognize that those amino acids came from a glandular source. This is a common misconception, however. The fact is that 100% of all ingested food materials such as proteins, need to be broken down into their smallest molecular building blocks (amino acids), before they can be absorbed. Research has clearly shown that approximately five percent of the protein load delivered to the small intestine is not broke n down into amino acids or polypeptides in the gut, but passes as intact protein molecules into the circulatory system. (5) Thus, the gut epithelium, earlier thought of as a route strictly for active absorption of nutrients and a barrier for other contents of the abdomen that are supposedly harmful, seems to have greater permeability. Proteins such as Immunoglobulin G (m.w. 20,000-50,000), ferritin, albumin, horse radish peroxidase, 5, trypsin and chymotrypsin all have the demonstrated ability to be absorbed from the gut of adult animals and maintain full function in the bloodstream.
Furthermore, consider that glandular concentrates (such as desiccated liver) may contain small polypeptide, protein-like substances which have specific messenger activity aimed at target tissues. For example, it is well known that the pituitary gland secretes small polypeptide messenger hormones like ACTH, vasopressin and oxytocin which in turn act directly on specific target tissues. The level of these hormones necessary to induce physiologic tissue-specific activity may be less than 100 nanograms per milligram of the tissue. (6) Of course all of this is not proof that desiccated liver definitively provides glandular support to human livers, but it does suggest that it may be possible.
Finally, one concern that many may have is a desiccated liver supplement may be a carrier of “mad cow disease.†However, both the supplement industry and the FDA reassures the public that because all byproducts from BSE-infected countries are banned, so contamination should no t be a worry. (7)
Desiccated liver has an extensive history of anecdotal (and sometimes scientific) use in humans. If you’re interested in trying this well-established dietary supplement, you may experience energy-enhancing benefits as a result.
References:
Grivetti LE, et al. From ancient Olympia to modern Atlanta: celebration of the Olympic Centennial. (symposium on nutrition and physical performance) Nutrition Today (1996) 31(6):241(9).
Langer S. Energizers: moving mind & body. Better Nutrition for Today’s Living (1995) 57(8):40(3).
Langer S. Cutting edge nutrition for athletic women. Better Nutrition for Today’s Living (1994) 56(5):40(4).
Nelson C, et al. Glycerophosph orylethan olamine (GPEA) identified as an hepatocyte growth stimulator in liver extracts.Experimental cell research (1996) 229(1):20-6.
Hemmings, W.A., et al, Gut (1978) 19: 715.
Guillemin, R., et al, Sci. Amer. (1976) July: 24-33.
Smith SM. Mad cows and Englishmen; sorting out the risks. (risk of ‘mad cow disease’ in the United States) Environmental Nutrition (1996) 19(5):2(1).
Edited by Richard Sanchez on 12-27-13 06:43 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
