It’s a wrong notion among many celebrities and self-described health experts that eating placenta after giving birth offers many health benefits. According to scientists, the belief is nonsensical and is full of dangers.

“Our sense is that women choosing placentophagy (eating placenta), who may otherwise be very careful about what they are putting into their bodies during pregnancy and nursing, are willing to ingest something without evidence of its benefits and, more importantly, of its potential risks to themselves and their nursing infants”, said Cythya Coyle, a researcher for Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

She was part of studies being conducted by researchers, including Dr. Crystal Clark, to look into what health benefits are offered by eating one’s own afterbirth. Results of the study have been reported in the latest issue of Archives in Women's Mental Health.

Dr. Clark said that many women are following the trend to eat the placenta after giving birth that is not based on science or being advised by a physician, but they are simply making the decision based on media reports, blogs and websites.

Celebrities, like Kourtney Kardashian, are also to be blamed for the dangerous trend as they have wrongly influenced people about the benefits of eating their own discarded placenta after giving birth. The study is not aimed at creating a controversy, but to help people get rid of wrong misconceptions.

The placenta is known to filter toxins to protect the fetus, and there’s high possibility that many toxins remain in it when you eat it.