Anti-Fatigue Factor

Liver’s as-yet-unidentified anti-fatigue factor makes it a favorite with athletes and bodybuilders.  The factor was described by Benjamin K. Ershoff, PhD, in a July 1951 article published in the Proceedings for the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

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Ershoff divided laboratory rats into three groups.  The first ate a basic diet, fortified with 11 vitamins.  The second ate the same diet, along with an additional supply of vitamin B complex.  The third ate the original diet, but instead of vitamin B complex received 10 percent of rations as powdered liver.

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A 1975 article published in Prevention magazine described the experiment as follows: “After several weeks, the animals were placed one by one into a drum of cold water from which they could not climb out.  They literally were forced to sink or swim.  Rats in the first group swam for an average 13.3 minutes before giving up.  The second group, which had the added fortifications of B vitamins, swam for an average of 13.4 minutes.  Of the last group of rats, the ones receiving liver, three swam for 63, 83 and 87 minutes.  The other nine rats in this group were still swimming vigorously at the end of two hours when the test was terminated.  Something in the liver had prevented them from becoming exhausted.  To this day scientists have not been able to pin a label on this anti-fatigue factor.”     Although the presence of cytochrome P-450, which helps the body cope with stress and enables maintenance of higher levels of energy and faster recoveries, could be a clue.