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Alba Otero
Writer“Observe, listen, and reflect” is my journalistic mantra. This philosophy guides me daily and ensures I produce quality journalism. My restlessness has led me explore new areas, such as sustainability and the energy transition, which are crucial to our future. In addition, I’ve also dabbled in street photography, an art that allows me to capture the essence of journalism in action.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
Anyone who has seen Game of Thrones—spoiler alert—will remember the legendary scene in which Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, eats a raw heart in front of a crowd. For this scene, the production team used a heart made of solidified jam. Clarke said: “It tasted like bleach and raw pasta. I ate roughly 28 hearts throughout the days we filmed that scene. Fortunately, they gave me a spit bucket because I was vomiting in it quite often.”
This brutal scene has come to life. An Argentine influencer named Lucas Gago went viral after posting a video of himself eating the placenta of his newborn daughter.
Recorded after a home birth, the act sparked a wave of reactions on social media platforms, ranging from amazement to outright rejection. While many saw it as another internet provocation, the video reignited a debate mixing biology, personal beliefs, celebrities, and pseudoscience.
From viral to origin. Gago’s case is extreme, but eating placenta is not new. In recent years, this practice—known as placentophagy—has gained notoriety, especially after celebrities like Kim Kardashian revealed they consumed it in capsule form after giving birth to avoid postpartum depression. Since then, several public figures have followed suit, presenting placentophagy as a way to reconnect with nature or “reuse” what the body produces.
An ancient ritual? Although this premise is often repeated, history doesn’t support it. Ethnographic research studying 179 contemporary cultures found no evidence that eating the placenta after childbirth was common.
However, the situation is different in the animal world. A study published in Ecology of Food and Nutrition observed that many mammals, including primates, rodents and carnivores, tend to eat the placenta. Researchers say this practice may reduce pain and activate the instinct to care for offspring.
What do experts say? The Mayo Clinic states that no conclusive scientific evidence proves benefits such as increased energy, improved breast milk production or prevention of mood disorders. In recent years, more people have started consuming placenta in capsule form, believing it to be beneficial. However, the Cleveland Clinic has warned about the risks involved.
A recent article explains that the placenta may contain bacteria or toxins that accumulate during pregnancy and could cause infections. Dr. Oluwatosin Goje, an infectious disease expert, says consuming the placenta—whether raw, cooked or in capsule form—could reintroduce these harmful agents into the body. This poses a risk to both the mother and her baby if she is breastfeeding.
Other uses for the placenta. Most hospital births consider it biological waste and discarded according to health protocols. Only in specific cases, and with medical authorization, can parents request to keep it. This isn’t always permitted or regulated in all countries. However, some people have decided to keep it, including artists and filmmakers who have approached the organ from symbolic and performative perspectives. For example, chef Eddie Lin made the documentary American Afterbirth, in which he investigated the use of placentas in artistic, gastronomic and social contexts. His work takes a cultural and provocative approach to the subject.
Is it a trend or a danger? What began as an attention-grabbing social media post sparked a broader discussion about the boundaries between nature, symbolism, and safety. Although some public figures have popularized consuming the placenta for its supposed benefits, science doesn’t support these practices and instead warns of possible risks.
In an era when the personal becomes viral content and the unconventional is presented as healthy, it’s important to remember that not everything you see online is a good idea to imitate. Although the human body is a biological miracle, not everything that comes from it should go straight onto the plate.
Image | Supliful - Supplements On Demand (Unsplash)
Related | The Other Traumatic Consequence of Childbirth and Postpartum: Evident Changes in the Mother’s Brain
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