There is absolutely no reason why a man should eat placenta

October 7, 2017 7:23 PM

Actor Jason Biggs apparently ate placenta after his child was born. You shouldn't

Lets be clear: There is absolutely no reason why a man should eat placenta.

If that seems painfully obvious, know that we felt compelled to remind you because actor Jason Biggs apparently ingested wife Jenny Mollen's placenta following the birth of their second child earlier this week.

The practice of eating one's placenta following birth has been popularized by the likes of Kim Kardashian and January Jones, both of whom had their placentas made into pills and raved about improved moods and increased energy as a result. Mollen, following suit, elected to have her placenta made into pills, too. (You don't need pills to boost your mood. This diet could help, though.)

What came as a surprise was that her husband joined in on the placenta pill party. According to People, Mollen posted an Instagram video from the car, announcing she was "gonna go home and eat my placenta." Biggs, who was in the car ride with her, chimed in, "I'm excited to try it!" (New dads, you don't need placenta. You need these new dad hacks. Trust us.)

People who promote placenta ingestion say it offers a multitude of health benefits to mothers after childbirth—decreasing post-delivery pain and risk of postpartum depression, increasing energy, assisting with lactation, promoting skin elasticity and replenishing iron, for instance—but there's very minimal scientific evidence to back this up. In fact, researchers at Northwestern University School of Medicine conducted a study and found no evidence that ingesting placenta had any of these purported affects on mothers. Even further, there is zero research or evidence suggesting that ingesting placenta will do anything for a father.

There have even been cases of moms' placenta ingestion harming their babies. The CDC published a report earlier this year highlighting a case of an infant being infected with group B streptococcus—a bacterium commonly found in adults, but that can cause severe illnesses in newborns, including sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis. After doctors attempted to treating the infection—only to have the baby return days later with the same condition—they finally identified the problem: The placenta pills the mother was ingesting contained the bacterium making her baby sick, and she was likely transferring it through skin-to-skin contact. (Babies can be a hard read. Here are some common newborn ailments and how you can identify them.)

Lesson here, no matter how much you loved Biggs in American Pie, do not eat the placenta. Don't do it. While a mood-boosting super-pill sounds tempting, sorry, but eating a placenta is not going to get the job done. Instead, if you're looking for a mood boost, here's a 2-second trick to perk you up. If you're looking for something a little stronger, here's a 10-minute workout bust you straight out of that new dad struggle bus.

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