Kim Kardashian put him fashionable, an influencer viralized him and science continues to say the same thing: he doesn’t eat placenta

All the people who have seen Games of Thrones —Ojo, Mini Spoiler – will remember that mythical scene in which Daenerys Targaryen devours a raw heart before a crowd. For this sequence, they used a heart made of solidified jam that the actress recalled: “I knew rare and raw pasta. I ate about 28 hearts during the days we shot that scene. Luckily, they gave me a spit because I vomited in it very often.” A brutal scene that, today, has claimed life more or less: a influencer Argentino, Lucas Gago, has gone viral after publishing a video in which he eats – literally – the placenta of his newborn daughter.

This act, recorded after home delivery, generated a wave of reactions in social networks: from astonishment to absolute rejection. Although for many it was simply one more provocation on the Internet, the video revived a debate that mixes biology, personal beliefs, celebrities and pseudoscience.

From the viral to the origin. Although Gago’s case is extreme, the idea of ​​eating placenta is not new. In recent years, this practice, known as placentophagyHe has gained notoriety, especially since celebrities like Kim Kardashian publicly told that they had consumed it encapsulated after giving birth, hoping to avoid postpartum depression. Since then, several public figures have followed that path, presenting it as a way of reconnecting with the natural or “reuse” what the body produces.

An ancestral ritual? Even if that premise is repeated, the story does not support it. An ethnographic investigation that has studied 179 contemporary cultures has not found evidence that eating placenta after childbirth was common.

Now, in the animal world the situation is different. A study, published in Ecology of Food and Nutrition, has observed that many mammals, such as primates, rodents and carnivores, do usually eat the placenta. According to researchers, this practice can help them reduce pain and activate care instincts towards their young.

What do experts say? According to Mayo Clinic, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to prove benefits such as increased energy, improvement in breast milk or prevention of mood disorders. In recent years, more and more people have begun to consume the placenta in capsules, believing that it is beneficial. However, Cleveland Clinic has warned about the risks that this implies.

In a recent article he explained that the placenta may contain bacteria or toxins accumulated during pregnancy, which could cause infections. Dr. Oluwatatosin Goje, an expert in infectious diseases, explained that consuming it, either raw, cooked or in capsules, could reintroduce those harmful agents in the body, representing a risk for both the mother and the baby if he is breastfeeding.

Other uses of the placenta. In most hospital deliveries, the placenta is considered biological residue and is ruled out according to health protocols. Only in specific cases and under medical authorization, parents can request to keep it, something that is not always allowed or regulated in all countries. However, there are people who decide to keep it, as is the case of artists and filmmakers who have addressed this organ from a symbolic and performative perspective. For example, chef Eddie Lin made the documentary American Afterbirthin which the use of placentas in artistic, gastronomic and social contexts is investigated, proposing a cultural and provocative approach on the subject.

The most recent case is that of the influencer Spanish Violeta Mangriñán, who decided to plant a tree using the placenta of his daughter Gala, in a gesture he considered spiritual and ecological.

Trend or danger? What began as a striking gesture for social networks ended up awakening a much broader discussion about the limits between the natural, the symbolic and the safe. Although some public figures have contributed to popularize the idea of ​​consuming the placenta for its supposed benefits, science remains without supporting these practices and, on the other hand, alerts on possible risks.

In a time where the intimate becomes viral and alternative, it disguises itself as healthy, it should be remembered that not everything we see on the Internet is a good idea to replicate. And that, although the human body is a biological miracle, not everything that comes out of it must go directly to the plate.

Image | Unspash and Instagram

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