June 8, 2015
We’ve all heard of eating your placenta. Some of us do it, but most of us don’t.
While the practice of eating one’s placenta (placentophagy) has been around forever, it didn’t become mainstream until midwives, doulas, and celebrities began encouraging mothers-to-be to indulge a few years back.
After several studies have been conducted, it is still unclear how beneficial it is. In fact, some may suggest it could do more harm then good.
The placenta is the body’s filter while you’re pregnant. It determines what your baby receives nutritionally. Knowing that, it becomes obvious that the placenta contains toxins too.
So why eat it? That’s what a new study, according to a team from Northwestern University in Chicago, is asking.
The study says there is absolutely no benefits to consumig the placenta. In a Northwestern news release, lead author and psychologist Cynthia Coyle states, “Our sense is that women choosing placentophagy, who may otherwise be very careful about what they are putting into their bodies during pregnancy and nursing, are willing to ingest something without evidence of its benefits and, more importantly, of its potential risks to themselves and their nursing infants.”
So what does this mean?
Well, on one hand studies like these are super important to help us understand the facts and science behind the process. But on the other hand, there’s plenty of mothers out there who swear by it. So really…the choice is yours.
Fact: The placenta is full of nutrients. Even scientists will tell you this. However, the point of the studies is that we don’t know all of the evidence. And the bottom line is ingesting the placenta could put you and your nursing baby at risk.
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