Warning: Consuming human placentas may pose serious health risks, Canadian health department says
A trend in consuming placentas has led health officials in Canada to warn about risks and health claims.
A Canadian health department warned Tuesday that there may be serious health risks in consuming human placentas, where such products haven’t yet been authorized for consumption.
Following a similar warning by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Canada said there is currently no scientific evidence that supports claims of health benefits associated with consuming human placentas.
Placentas can contain bacteria and viruses that may lead to infections in mothers or their babies, and the risk is higher if someone ingests the placenta of another person, Health Canada said.
Public safety regulators don’t oversee and verify quality control of services that make placentas available for consumption, said Dr. Genevieve Buser, an infectious disease physician with Providence Health & Services.
“There’s no regulation or review of these services” that take the placenta, prepare it and return the pills to the mother, Buser said.
The practice also could have harmful health effects, according to a medical article published this year, because of heavy metals such as mercury and lead that can accumulate, which can happen due to environmental factors or by eating certain fish.
“While consuming (a) placenta is a personal choice, we are advising mothers, and others who may be consuming placenta preparations that they should be aware of the potential risks associated with the practice for themselves and their babies,” Health Canada said.
Buser and other Oregon doctors previously noted an infant needed medical treatment repeatedly after its mother consumed capsules made from her placenta, the CDC reported in 2017.
The practice has been promoted for reasons such as helping postpartum women stabilize mood, enhancing recovery and increasing milk production, according to one medical article.
According to researchers, the benefits of the practice are based on “misguided popular beliefs spread on social media and untrustworthy maternity/health blogs and internet pages.”
Mothers have reported positive results, but other researchers have said those could be placebo effects, and the issue needs to be studied further.
Placentarisks.org details some of the myths associated with the practice. The website dismisses claims that traditional Chinese medicine recommends the practice in ancient texts.
Buser said the medical community recommends that mothers talk with their physicians and get facts from their provider.