Studies find no benefits to consumption of placentas

Should new mothers be eating their afterbirth? Many moms may be asking themselves that question, now that Kim Kardashian has made her placentophagy public. But according to a recent paper examining all previous studies on the subject, there isn't any real evidence to support any potential benefits or risks.

Crystal Clark, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, found just one study connecting placenta consumption with pain relief. But the study suggested the placenta had to be eaten right after birth, completely, in its entirety, and that it couldn't be stored or heated," she said. "That's not what human women are doing."

Indeed, most celebs in the news for consuming their placentas aren't praising the benefits of scarfing down a raw organ in the delivery room. Most eat it over time - sometimes even months postpartum - after having it dehydrated or cooked.

"The animal practice that we see simply isn't what humans are doing," Clark said. "So you really can't compare the two."

- Washington Post