Though celebrities such as Kim Kardashian might flaunt the habit, it turns out eating your placenta is not all it’s cracked up to be.
According to a recent study by Northwestern University, consuming the placenta has no real “human benefits” to mothers. The university analyzed many recent studies that did not support the idea that “eating the placenta—either raw, cooked or encapsulated—offers protection against postpartum depression, reduces post-delivery pain, boosts energy, helps with lactation, promotes skin elasticity, enhances maternal bonding or replenishes iron in the body.”
Some women claim to reap benefits from consuming the placenta, namely Kim K herself, but scientific research hasn’t found solid results that back the claim. Rather, scientists need to conduct tests to see if eating the placenta could be harmful, especially since the organ acts as a filter to protect the developing fetus from absorbing dangerous toxins.
So for now, it’s probably wise to steer clear from popping pills made up of your own ground up placenta, just in case.
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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