Should Humans Eat Placenta?

Have you heard of placentophagy? The controversial practice of consuming one’s placenta after childbirth? Join us as we discuss its role in traditional medicine, purported health benefits and what the science really says. 

Shownotes: yournutritionprofs.com

Do you have a nutrition question you'd like us to answer? Let us know! Contact Us on our website or any of the following ways:

yournutritionprofs@gmail.com

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook



 

Transcript

In this episode, we’re discussing the controversial practice of placentophagy. Advocates claim that it can balance hormones, promote postpartum recovery and aid in bonding. But what does the science say? 

M: I’m Professor Megan 

S: and I’m Professor Susan, and we’re

Both: Your Nutrition Profs!

M: We are registered dietitians and college professors who have taught more than 10,000 students about health and nutrition. We have answered a LOT of questions about nutrition over the years – 

S: Some questions we get asked every year and some are rarely asked but very interesting.

M: We’re here to share our answers to these common (and uncommon) nutrition questions with you.

S: So bring your curiosity and let’s get started. 

Both: Welcome to our class!

M: Welcome everyone! Thanks so much for tuning in! We are so grateful to all of you listeners.

S: Yes we are! And thank you so much for supporting us. You guys are great!

M: So today, we have an…Interesting question.

S: Some might find it to be a bit… gross!

M: Yes, this is a question I get asked more often than you might think… usually by one student and the rest of the class is surprised and are like, “wait, what??”

S: Same here! You know, it’s something most Americans don’t really think about because it is not commonly done, but today our question is – get ready – “Should humans eat placenta?”

M: Yup , that’s our question. But before we get into it, let’s start with defining what the placenta is…

S: Oh ok, that’s a good idea! The placenta is a really fascinating, but transient organ. It’s formed during the first 3 months of pregnancy.

M: That’s right folks, when a woman is pregnant she not only grows a fetus, she also grows a whole new organ!

S: It’s such an amazing process! You know those common symptoms pregnant women get, the nausea and the fatigue, in many women those symptoms diminish or stop completely once the placenta is done and functioning and this occurs at the end of the first trimester. 

M: And I think most people are pretty grateful for that! 

S: Yeah, I would think so too!

M: Well, prior to the placenta, a temporary organ called the corpus luteum forms in the ovary right after an ovum, or egg, is released. It produces a hormone called progesterone that prepares the uterus for pregnancy. 

S: But if the released egg is unfertilized, meaning it doesn’t meet with a sperm cell, the corpus luteum breaks down and the uterus sheds its lining and this is called menstruation. 

M: But if the egg IS fertilized, the corpus luteum will produce hormones for the first 12 weeks or so of pregnancy before eventually breaking down. By then the new organ, the placenta, will have formed and taken over. 

S: The placenta is an absolutely imperative organ for a healthy pregnancy. It functions as the lungs, the liver, the digestive system, the kidneys, and more for a growing fetus. 

M: This process is so fascinating! So in simpler terms, it provides the fetus with oxygen and nutrients, removes waste products, and filters out harmful substances while the fetus is developing. 

S: After those first 12 weeks, the placenta will continue to grow with the fetus and it might move around in the uterus as it stretches and grows.

M: The placenta looks sort of like a spongy disc full of blood. The average placenta is 8 to 10 inches in length, about an inch thick, and weighs about a pound. The placenta has a large surface area that allows for the nutrient and gas exchanges to take place. 

S: You know, I think the placenta is so amazing. In addition to its role as an exchange organ between the mother and the fetus, it also functions as an endocrine organ, so that means it produces hormones like human chorionic gonadotropin hormone or hCG. hCG is what’s measured in urine and blood when a person takes a pregnancy test.  

M: The placenta also helps drive hunger in the mother so that she will increase food intake and energy reserves. I mean, if you’re growing a placenta and a person, you need some fuel!

S: Oh definitely, she’ll also need energy reserves for breastfeeding. 

M: And as we stated earlier, the placenta is a transient or temporary organ. So typically within a few minutes or hours of birth, the placenta along with amniotic fluids are expelled from the uterus – part of what’s called afterbirth. 

S: That makes total sense since once the baby is born, it doesn’t need the placenta anymore.

M: Exactly. So that’s the placenta, but getting back to the question…should humans eat it?

S: Well…the act of placentophagy is the human consumption of the placenta tissue and it refers to consumption by any person (not just the mother) in any form (so you can eat it raw or processed). So where does this idea come from? 

M: Well, many animals already do this. In fact, more than 4,000 species participate in placentophagia which is what they call it in animals. 

S: So it’s placentophagy in humans and placentophagia in animals? I wonder why they call it two different things?

M: I really don’t know, but it’s been studied in mice, rats, hamsters, rabbits, ungulates (like deer, and goats, and giraffes), carnivores, and non-human primates. 

S: But not all animals practice placentophagia…. I mean, sea mammals (like whales and otters), marsupials, maybe camelids (like camels and alpacas), and for the most part – humans, don’t.

M: Yeah, marsupials like kangaroos and koala they actually reabsorb their placenta back into their bodies,  but they do consume amniotic fluids as they lick their young. 

S: In most animals it’s the mother that consumes the placenta after birth, but interestingly, or at least unexpectedly, some male animals practice placentophagia, including some mice, rats, and hamsters. 

M: So one of the top reasons for the idea that humans should consume placenta is because it’s considered “natural” because animals do it. 

S: Is that a good reason? I mean…Not ALL animals do it.

M: Exactly... And animals do a lot of things we don’t do! 

S: So for those animals that do practice placentophagia… Why do they do it? Well one hypothesis is that animals need to eradicate any evidence of birth to prevent predators from targeting them or their offspring. 

M: So for safety. I mean, that makes sense! If you’re an antelope who gives birth in the African savannah, both you and your newborn are vulnerable to predators. So eating the evidence of birth reduces the chances a lion will find you! 

S: Yeah, that makes so much sense! There might also be some additional benefits for animal mothers like reduced risk of bleeding and the promotion of lactogenesis which is the sciencey word for breast milk production. 

M: Another reason might be nutritional benefits for mom. The placenta contains some nutrients and you know, pregnancy takes a lot out of the mother, so eating the placenta could help maybe replace some of those nutrients. 

S: And here’s another possible benefit for Mom – pain relief. The placenta produces something called Placental Opioid Enhancing Factor or POEF. This enhances the opioid effect so that helps relieve pain. There’s research that suggests that POEF must be ingested and does not work by injection. 

M: And it’s only in afterbirth tissue and therefore only produced in those who produce a placenta including humans. But the studies of the effects of POEF consumption have only been done in rats so we’re not sure how or if it would affect humans.

S: There may be some benefits of placentophagia for the newborns too. Consuming it and the other afterbirth fluid can help the newborn breathe more easily making it more likely they will survive. And that licking off of the afterbirth in animals might also enhance bonding. 

M: Ok, but is there any history of placenta consumption in humans? Actually… yes…  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, dried human placenta has been used for centuries by postpartum mothers for improved recovery and to stimulate lactation. 

S: Just like in animals! It’s also been used by both men and women to treat emaciation, chronic cough, night sweats, infertility, and impotence. 

M: It’s hard to estimate how many humans practiced placentophagy throughout history because most historical accounts are written by men. 

S: Yes they are. 

M: Men were not involved much in the birthing process  for most of history… so they didn’t know what to write! 

S: Correct! And most written evidence that does exist relating to birth typically does not include the placenta or what happened to the placenta. So we just don’t know how it was handled.

M: There are reports from places like Argentina, India, Haiti, and the Caribbean that they use  parts of preserved umbilical cord and/or placenta as powder, in broth, or tea to help sick children. Sometimes these were even consumed by elder women in the family as a form of like, protection for the child. 

S: There are some reports of placentophagy being practiced in the 1960s by tribes inhabiting the mountains of North Vietnam. The report suggested that the reason they did this is maybe it was a protein source where protein was otherwise limited… But we just don’t know. 

M: I read that some cultures consider the placenta sacred and there are many different specific rituals related to it. So  in parts of Cambodia, the placenta is considered the origin of the baby’s soul and is buried near spiked plants to protect it. And the Hmong people bury the placenta at home and when a person dies, their soul returns to their birthplace to reunite with it. 

S: Oh, I like that!

M: Yeah.

S: Some cultures blur that line a little bit. They don’t actually eat the placenta, but they do bury it at the roots of the tree and then later they’ll ritually consume the fruit or use the leaves from the tree in tea. But most cultures do not condone placentophagy, it’s considered taboo. And some think it to be a form of cannibalism so a definite no-no. 

M: Yeah, I usually have students bring that up, they’re like “Wait, wait isn’t that considered cannibalism? And I mean, placental tissue IS formed from the fertilized egg so it is human tissue so I can see where that idea comes from. 

S: Oh yeah, me too.

M: Yeah. The first scientific study of human placentophagy was conducted in 1917. 

S: That’s more than a hundred years ago!

M: I know! They found that lactating women who consumed their dried placenta had increased protein and lactose in their breastmilk.

S: But who knows what their research methods were?

M: Oh yeah. 

S: Well in the 1970s human placentophagy began increasing in popularity… primarily by white, middle or higher income bracket, married women in North America but also in other parts of the global north. That was when women were exploring more “natural” childbirth methods. 

M: There was one case study from 1973, that reports that placenta consumed by the mother and her friends as “replenishing and delicious”.  

S: Wait, mother AND her friends? 

M: Yes. But that’s a hard pass for me. I love my friends, I love their kids, but I don’t want to consume their placentas!

S: That’s a pass for me too. There is definitely an ick factor associated with it. I mean, the placenta, once it is expelled from the body is large, bloody,  and spongy. It definitely doesn't make me feel hungry. Although it’s probably more ritual than meal. 

M: Yeah. Well by the 1980s, placentophagy was being included “as a natural part of the birth process” within some professional literature. And apparently in 2013, Kim Kardashian ate her placenta and I think maybe some of her sisters did as well…  But I’m not sure how popular it is these days. Have you heard about it in more recent news?

S: Not really, but it's extremely difficult to estimate how many humans practice placentophagy these days. One study from 2018, found that for more than 23,000 births occurring outside of hospitals, about 30% of mothers reported consuming their placenta. 

M: 30% of 23,000 – that’s more than 7,000 placentas! 

S: That’s a lot of placentas! 

M: …Being consumed. Were they eating it cooked or raw? I’ve even heard that sometimes it is frozen and blended into smoothies. 

S: I’m not sure how they ate it. But it appears the most popular method right now is something called “placenta encapsulation”. So this is when the steamed or raw placenta is then dehydrated and put into capsules. So they take it that way. From 2009 to 2015, Google searches for placenta encapsulation increased 100-fold.

M: Well I mean, I’m sure that definitely helps with the ick factor – just taking a capsule.  

S: Oh for sure.

M: Compared to a raw organ. According to a South Texas company that is described as providing full service birth and postpartum support, an average placenta makes between 80 and 120 pills. So if you’re choosing to consume your placenta, they instruct that the placenta be placed in a gallon sized ziploc bag or container with a secure lid that is kept cold. Then someone from the company will come pick it up, they’ll dehydrate, and make into pills for you. 

S: Oh my god, I just looked at their website, they’ll even make you a special keepsake from your baby’s dehydrated umbilical cord or make an art print that represents the tree of life from your placenta. 

M: Wow! 

S: You want that hanging on your wall?

M: Maybe, I don’t know. 

S: Maybe it’d look good in a nursery?  I mean, the things you can find on the internet are so interesting! I searched for placenta encapsulation training and it gave me 300,000 results! 

M: Wow! 

S: But let’s get back on track. Let’s talk about the nutrients found in human placentas. 

M: So as we mentioned earlier, the placenta helps provide all oxygen and nutrients to the fetus from the mother. So it would seem that the organ itself might be fairly nutrient dense…

S: But what nutrients does the placenta actually provide? A study of 10 placentas found that 100g – which is, we think, about the size of a deck of cards – provides about 50kcal, 200mg of cholesterol, 10g of protein, and several micronutrients, things like vitamin A, some B vitamins, calcium, iron, sodium and selenium. 

M: Another study showed if you consume placenta in capsule form the recommended dose provides 24% of the RDA for iron along with a bit of several other trace minerals. 

S: That doesn’t sound that great though. I mean, placenta doesn’t seem like a nutritional powerhouse.

M: Not really no. But almost 25% of iron is pretty good. And I suppose that’s one of the reasons given by those who are pro-placentophagy. I mean you can get the same amount of iron from eating something like beef though.

S: Yeah, but iron is definitely an issue for many pregnant women though – more than half have iron deficiency, especially during the second and third trimesters. And pregnant women lose even more iron during blood loss during childbirth. 

M: There are also low levels of several hormones found in human placentas. Hormones like progesterone, estradiol which is a form of estrogen, cortisol, and testosterone. But what little research has been done so far, doesn’t indicate that placenta consumption really impacts these hormone levels. 

S: Ok, so are there really any benefits of placenta consumption in humans?

M: Maybe? I mean, we’ve already discussed some of the benefits referenced in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It seems the most commonly reported are prevention of postpartum depression and improved mood. 

S: And I guess, we discussed possible benefits like iron, or increased milk production, or reduced postpartum bleeding and reduced pain – at least in rats!

M: Other purported benefits include improved weight gain in breastfed newborns and enhanced maternal bonding. 

S: But most of these benefits are anecdotal which means they’re just observations or testimonials. None of these benefits have not been substantiated in large clinical studies. So we’re just not sure. 

M: It’s even been reported, on the internet, that consuming placenta can treat insomnia and other sleep disorders, it can reduce scars and signs of aging in the skin, help hormone regulation related to menstruation and even during menopause. But there’s even less research supporting these claims. 

S: So it must be a miracle! (sarcasm) I’m super skeptical of those benefits. Clearly more research, a lot more research, needs to be done to substantiate any of these benefits.

M: It sounds like maybe placentophagy doesn’t live up to the hype, but are there any risks? Well there appears to be some debate about whether elements like cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and even lead are found in placenta. 

S: Well, it makes sense that there might be substances like this because one of the functions of this organ is to filter out toxins to protect the fetus. 

M: That makes sense… and the placenta is not sterile. It can be contaminated in-utero or post birth with various bacteria and viruses! 

S: Well in 2017, the CDC warned against consuming placenta capsules. Apparently a newborn developed Streptococcus sepsis via breast milk after the mother ingested her own contaminated capsules.

M: Yikes! I mean, just dehydrating your placenta doesn’t remove anything in it that may be harmful so that could definitely be risky. 

S: Right and the CDC also recommends that physicians discourage placentophagy in general because there’s lack of any real documented benefits.

M: Ok, so what is the bottom line on placentophagy? 

S: Ok bottom line. Placentophagy is the act of consuming human placenta. It’s impossible to know how prevalent it has been in the past. There are reports of some forms of placentophagy occurring in a wide variety of cultures, but many cultures do not condone it.

M: In North America, it became significantly more popular among white, middle and upper income married women beginning in the 1970s.

S: While there are several purported benefits of placentophagy, they’re mostly observational.  Large scale, randomized controlled studies do not support these benefits. So if you’re consuming it for health benefits, you’ll probably be disappointed.

M: So should you practice placentophagy? Well that is up to you, but be aware that there are some potential risks…risks like toxins, infection, or illness. 

S: Ok, well that’s it for placentophagy. Thank you so much for joining us today. This is definitely an interesting, and sometimes divisive topic. I know I learned a lot. 

M: I did too! Join us next time when we celebrate National Pollinator’s Month and interview a backyard beekeeper! We’ll discuss all things bees and honey.

S: It should be a good one! 

Both: Class dismissed.

S: We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can find the show notes and a list of sources on our website, yournutritionprofs.com. 

M: Your homework is to follow us at your nutrition profs on Instagram and to listen to our next episode. You can listen on Amazon Prime, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere podcasts are found. We’d appreciate it if you’d “like” us, write a review, subscribe, and invite your family and friends to join us too. 

S: If you have a nutrition or health question you’d like answered, let us know! We may even do a show about it! Send an email to yournutritionprofs@gmail.com or click on the “Contact Us” page on our website.

M: Thanks to Brian Pittman for creating our artwork. You can find him on instagram @BrianPittman77

Both: See you next time!