Eating placenta may be dangerous to your health, researchers find

Ever since a celebrity chef served placenta paté on focaccia bread in the British cooking show TV Dinners in 1998, the trend for consuming afterbirth has been growing.

Advocates including Mad Men star January Jones claim eating the placenta can combat post-natal depression, rebalance hormones, boost milk production, reduce pain, help bonding and replenish lost nutrients after childbirth.

But a scientific review suggests eating afterbirth could be dangerous because one of its roles is to absorb toxins to protect the growing fetus.

Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois examined all the published studies about the health benefits of eating placenta — or placentophagy. They found no evidence to support any of the health claims made by websites and blogs. More worryingly, they found no studies that examined the risk of eating placenta. “Women really don’t know what they are ingesting,” said lead author Dr. Cynthia Coyle. “There are no regulations as to how the placenta is stored and prepared, and the dosing is inconsistent.”

The placenta is an organ within the uterus that acts as an exchange system between the mother and the fetus during pregnancy.

In the U.K. and North America, it is common for the umbilical cord to be clamped and the placenta to be treated like surgical waste. In some other cultures, such as China, it is believed the placenta has an emotional or spiritual affinity with the baby, and must therefore be disposed of in a suitable way such as burial.