There are not many drawbacks to incorporating organ meats into your diet.

That said, some people may be more vulnerable to high intakes and need to limit their consumption.

People With Gout Need to Moderate Intake

Gout is a common type of arthritis.

It’s caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood, which causes joints to become swollen and tender.

Purines in the diet form uric acid in the body. Organ meats are particularly high in purines, so it’s important to eat these foods in moderation if you have gout ( 22 ).

Pregnant Women Should Watch Their Intake

Organ meats are rich sources of vitamin A, especially liver. During pregnancy, vitamin A plays an essential role in fetal growth and development.

However, the National Institutes of Health recommend an upper intake level of 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day, as excessive intakes have been associated with serious birth defects and abnormalities (23, 24 ).

Such birth defects include heart, spinal cord and neural tube defects, abnormalities of the eyes, ears and nose, and defects within the digestive tract and kidneys (25).

One study reported that pregnant mothers who consume more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day from food have an 80% higher risk of having a child with a birth defect, compared to mothers who consume 5,000 IU or less per day (25).

Therefore, it’s important to monitor your intake of organ meats during pregnancy, especially if you are taking supplements containing vitamin A.

Concerns About Mad Cow Disease

Mad cow disease, known officially as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), affects the brain and spinal cord of cattle.

The disease can spread to humans through proteins called prions, which are found in contaminated brains and spinal cords. It causes a rare brain disease called new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) ( 26 ).

Luckily, there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of cases of mad cow disease since a feeding ban was introduced in 1996. This ban made it illegal to add any meat and livestock to cattle feed ( 27 ).

In the US, brain meat from high-risk cattle and cattle with signs of BSE are not allowed to enter the food supply. Other countries have taken similar actions ( 28 ).

In most countries, the risk of developing vCJD from infected cattle is very low. However, if you’re worried, you can avoid eating the brains and spinal cords of cattle.