Borderline "Cannibalism": Placenta Is Not suitable as a "Superfood"

The gynecologist Alex Farr from the Medical University of Vienna worked as part of a cooperation with the Weill Cornell Medical Center at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York and researched the subject, which was still strongly tabooed. He recently published his findings in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an expert statement. Farr: “From a medical point of view, the placenta is a waste product. Most mammals eat the placenta after birth, but we can only guess why they do it. After the placenta belongs genetically to the newborn, the feeding of the placenta borders on cannibalism “. Farr also does not see any medical benefits. “On the contrary, because the suspected nutrients, such as iron, selenium and zinc, are not in the placenta.

And, above all, the consumption, which usually takes the form of processed capsules or globules, also carries a risk of infection. Farr: “It was only in June 2017 that the federal agency of the American Ministry of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officially warned against this trend because of a recent case. The baby of a mother who had eaten placenta capsules suffered a life-threatening blood-poisoning by streptococci. These bacteria could be detected in the placenta capsules of the mother and were probably transmitted by the child. ” As a problem, the gynecologist sees that it is a legal gray area whether the wish of the women is met to take the tissue with them. Only if follow-up of the placenta seems medically necessary can this be clearly prohibited.

Contacts and sources:

 Citation: Human placentophagy: a review. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,