Canada alerts health risks of eating human placentas

The Government of the United States states that there is no scientific evidence of the benefits

For some years now, the consumption of human placenta (whether raw, cooked, in milkshakes or in capsules) has become a matter of debate and business in different countries. People who advocate this practice — whose specific term is placentofagia — argue that it helps prevent postpartum depression, increases energy levels, and stimulates breast milk production. In addition, they underline that it is very common among diverse mammal species. Figures from the show world, from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian have recognized the intake of this ephemeral organ. There are even cookbooks. Its consumption is also promoted in some circles of alternative medicine.

On November 27, Canada joined the list of countries that warn about the risks of their consumption: “Eating the placenta or consuming it in capsules is a personal decision, but the mother must understand that there are potential risks for her and the baby , as there is no scientific evidence that their consumption has benefits, “says the Ministry of Health. They also warn that practice can pose health risks. “The most severe are bacterial in nature (e.g., group B Streptococcus) or related to the viral contamination of the placenta (hepatitis, HIV, among others),” the document points out. In this way, the Canadian authorities coincide with those of other countries and with researchers from different academic institutions.

Canada does not authorize any health product containing human placenta. With a quick search on the Internet you can find several Canadian forums that recommend the consumption of this organ, as well as different pages (in cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal) that offer support to process the placentas in capsules. The average cost to get the organ and transform it is 250 Canadian dollars (about 165 euros). “Many minerals and hormones that contain the placenta help to combat the symptoms of postpartum depression,” says one of these websites, although it does not provide scientific documents to prove it.

Noémie Vanheuverzwijn, spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Social services of Quebec, says to this newspaper that parents can request that they be given the placenta in hospitals, but they must undertake in writing to follow a series of measures to Reduce health risks For example, wear waterproof gloves and make sure that the organ does not come into contact with people who do not use protection or animals. The placenta cannot be sold or ceded to third parties. “In Quebec, these applications are marginal. If they are not claimed, the placentas are treated like the rest of anatomical residues, “Vanheuverzwijn accurate. For his part, Johanne Côté, executive director of the Order of midwives of Quebec, says that his institution has not yet an official position on the subject. In turn, the Ontario Public Health Association has requested that the risks of infection most vigorously be disseminated between medical personnel and the inhabitants of this province.

The testimonies expressed in different media about the alleged properties of the Placentofagia are numerous. However, the scientific community is more inclined to the placebo effect, since the results have not been tested with methodological rigor and that involves health risks. The American Medical Association does not recommend this practice, citing a study of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the country on bacterial contagion. The British College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has pointed out that their benefits are not known. In Australia, the Medical Products division of the Department of Health published in January this year a warning about the possible risks of human placental consumption.

Other research, carried out by reputable institutions, points in the same direction. For example, experts at the University of Austria concluded that no hormone or nutritive substance containing the placenta is potentially beneficial after the capsules are being prepared. In turn, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Nevada concluded that there were no significant differences between a group of women who consumed pills with human placenta and another one that ingested capsules with dehydrated beef. It is now the Canadian authorities that join these voices on a practice that has not exceeded its anecdotal character.