The Conspicuous Absence of Placenta Consumption in Human Postpartum Females: The Fire Hypothesis

@article{Young2012TheCA,
  title={The Conspicuous Absence of Placenta Consumption in Human Postpartum Females: The Fire Hypothesis},
  author={Sharon M Young and D. Benyshek and P. Li{\'e}nard},
  journal={Ecology of Food and Nutrition},
  year={2012},
  volume={51},
  pages={198 - 217}
}
The absence of human placentophagy, the maternal consumption of the afterbirth, is puzzling given its ubiquity and probable adaptive value in other mammals. We propose that human fire use may have led to placentophagy avoidance in our species. In our environment of evolutionary adaptedness, gravid women would likely have been regularly exposed to smoke and ash, which is known to contain harmful substances. Because the placenta filters some toxicants which then accumulate there across pregnancy… Expand
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Placentophagia in Humans and Nonhuman Mammals: Causes and Consequences
Afterbirth ingestion by nonhuman mammalian mothers has a number of benefits: (1) increasing the interaction between the mother and infant; (2) potentiating pregnancy-mediated analgesia in the… Expand
Consumption of Maternal Placenta in Humans and Nonhuman Mammals: Beneficial and Adverse Effects
TLDR
There are still questions to be resolved, and more studies are needed to confirm or reject the data generated so far about placentophagia in humans and nonhuman mammals, and the way the placenta is prepared alters its components, and thus the desired effects. Expand
Differences in placentophagia in relation to reproductive status in the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus).
TLDR
It is suggested that propensity to eat placenta increases with maternal/birthing experience in females, and with paternal experience and/or cohabitation with a pregnant female in males. Expand
Human placentophagy: a review
TLDR
It is found that there is no scientific evidence of any clinical benefit of placentophagy among humans, and no placental nutrients and hormones are retained in sufficient amounts after placenta encapsulation to be potentially helpful to the mother postpartum. Expand
Consumption of the Placenta in the Postpartum Period.
  • E. Hayes
  • Medicine
  • Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN
  • 2016
TLDR
Postpartum women are consuming their placentas to achieve claimed health benefits, including improved mood, energy, and lactation, and women's health care providers should be aware of this practice to help women make informed decisions. Expand
Placenta –Worth Trying? Human Maternal Placentophagia: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks Mutterkuchen – mal versuchen? Humane maternale Plazentophagie: möglicher Nutzen und potenzielle Risiken
The use of placenta preparations as an individual puerperal remedy can be traced back to historical, traditional practices in Western and Asian medicine. To evaluate the ingestion of processed… Expand
Placentophagy: therapeutic miracle or myth?
TLDR
The health benefits and risks of placentophagy require further investigation of the retained contents of raw, cooked, and encapsulated placenta and its effects on the postpartum woman. Expand
Comparative primate obstetrics: Observations of 15 diurnal births in wild gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) and their implications for understanding human and nonhuman primate birth evolution.
TLDR
The results suggest that prior maternal experience may contribute to greater competence or efficiency during the birth process, and face presentations appear to be the norm for geladas. Expand
Placenta – Worth Trying? Human Maternal Placentophagy: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks
TLDR
The use of placenta preparations as an individual puerperal remedy can be traced back to historical, traditional practices in Western and Asian medicine and the potential risks and benefit of such a practice are discussed. Expand
Fire in the Plio-Pleistocene: the functions of hominin fire use, and the mechanistic, developmental and evolutionary consequences.
TLDR
Fire used for cooking could have extended the range of foods hominins were able to consume, and reduced digestion costs, and may have contributed to the expansion of the hominin brain and facial anatomy, influenced by a higher quality cooked diet. Expand
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