Your placenta provides nutrients to your baby while he or she is in your womb.
Many animals consume their placenta after birth as it's such a rich source of nutrition,
but there's a lot of debate about the practice of eating your placenta in humans.
In this episode of Nourish, we'll discuss the pros and the cons of placenta capsules,
from a nutrition perspective, to help you decide whether or not it's for you. Stay tuned!
Welcome to Nourish! My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a dietitian who specialises in pregnancy
and the postpartum period. I help mummas optimise their recovery post-giving birth
and guide you in giving your little one the best start in life. Make sure you connect with me on
my socials... you'll find all the details in the description box below this video.
So, placenta capsules... yes, no or maybe?
Well, firstly, what are they? Placenta capsules are one way, probably the most common way,
that people consume their placenta after birth. You can find a range of companies who can make
placenta capsules from your placenta, and some doulas make them, or you can make your own.
I have to admit that I've never made placenta capsules or consumed them myself, and I've only
had a few clients who have chosen to use them, so I'll leave information on how to source them to
someone who has experience, but I can confidently comment on their nutritional benefits and risks.
Firstly, nutrients. A group of American researchers analyzed the nutrition sourced
from twenty-eight women's placenta capsules. They concluded that based on the nutritional
recommendations for breastfeeding mummas, a standard regime of placenta capsules provides
an average of 1.4% of the recommendations for copper, 1.5% of the recommendations for zinc,
7.1% of the recommendations for selenium and 24% of the recommendations for iron each day.
Selenium can be found in a wide range of foods such as nuts, fish, eggs and spinach,
and deficiency is rare. Whilst iron is an important postpartum nutrient, guidelines suggest
that it doesn't need to be supplemented unless stores are low, even if a mumma is breastfeeding.
Furthermore, another interesting study analysed the iron levels of mummas
who took placenta capsules versus the iron levels of mummas who consumed beef capsules.
The study found that even though there was more iron per gram in the placenta capsules,
it wasn't enough to have any marked impact on the mumma's iron status.
Secondly, heavy metals. Some people will warn against placenta capsules because of
a risk of heavy metal toxicity. The research that I've seen to date has found that although
placenta capsules did contain heavy metals, which have been associated with an increased
risk of cognitive issues such as autism, the quantities weren't enough to warrant concern.
Thirdly, hormones. The placenta is rich in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone,
which is why many advocates of placenta capsules argue that they can assist postnatal mood and
energy levels, and boost milk supply. However, whilst researchers have found that some mother's
hormone levels are affected by consuming the capsules, there hasn't yet been any studies
to back up the claims of improvements to mood, energy levels or milk supply.
Another study assessed claims that placenta capsules whilst breastfeeding can improve your
bubba's weight gain, but when investigated, found no results to back these claims up.
Having investigated the nutrition that placental capsules provide, I don't believe
that the effort and infection risks are worth the nutrition obtained for most postpartum mummas.
But, if you would like to opt for placenta capsules,
from a dietitian's perspective, I can't see any great harm either.
If you aren't currently a subscriber of my channel,
don't forget to click the subscribe button, and while you're here,
check out some of my other videos on nutrition during the first thousand days.
I'll look forward to seeing you soon!