Is Eating Humans Actually Unhealthy?

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Cannibalism is a clear taboo in our society. But, putting ethics aside, what are the other reasons why you should not eat other humans? 

Science Insider tells you all you need to know about science: space, medicine, biotech, physiology, and more.

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Following is a transcript of the video:

Did you know that cannibalism used to be a popular medical remedy?

That’s right! In the 17th century, well before Advil Europeans would ingest ground up mummies for headaches. And human fat, blood, and bone were used to treat everything from gout to nosebleeds. 

Yet cannibalism is largely absent and morally frowned upon in today. But let’s forget the social quagmire. There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t eat people these days.

For starters, we now know that human meat is a surprisingly low source of calories compared to other red meat. According to one study human muscle contains about 1,300 calories per kilogram. That’s less than beef and nothing compared to bear and boar meat.

Now, you might think this would actually make human burgers a great low-cal alternative until you remember you’re probably trying to eat humans because you’re starving to death. So, low-cal is the opposite of what you want.

Plus it’s not worth taking the risk — if you can help it. Turns out, we carry some pretty nasty diseases that make 24-hour food poisoning look like the sniffles. Eat someone raw, and you risk contracting any blood-borne diseases they carried.

But even if you cook the meat, it still won’t always go well for you. Case in point are the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. They would eat the body and brain of deceased family members out of cultural tradition. But that practice stopped after hundreds of people died in the 1950s and ‘60s from an otherwise rare neurological disorder which they contracted from eating infected human brains.

Turns out, the brain tissue contained prions — deadly misfolded proteins that form spongy holes in your brain. They survive the cooking process and, if eaten, are highly contagious.

On the legal side of things, cannibalism falls into a gray area. Oddly enough, cannibalism itself is not illegal in the US or UK, but you probably committed some crime along the way to get that slab of meat.

Grave robbing, desecration of a corpse, murder, or maybe all of the above?

One exception that won’t put you behind bars, is if you eat … yourself! Yup, that’s a thing. It’s called autocannibalism.

The most common example today, called placentophagy, is when a woman eats her placenta after giving birth. The idea is that it can raise energy levels and reduce the risk of postpartum depression by stabilizing hormones. But the science is still out on whether there’s any real benefit.

Regardless, this ancient practice has recently found new life in Western culture. Kim Kardashian and Alicia Silverstone have reportedly done it. And there are numerous US companies that will grind your placenta into a powder so you can take it like any other vitamin supplement. 

But the CDC warns that even this cutting-edge form of cannibalism is a bad idea. Because it can transfer harmful bacteria from mother to child. 

So, if you have a hankering for human, maybe try some pork instead. After all — that’s what we taste like. Wait … we obviously mean: ACCORDING TO CANNIBALS ANYWAYS!
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So that's why zombies look so unhealthy.

castlecat
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*_i can perfectly tell, that the narrator ate human meat before.._*

meghalok
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When the compliment “your a snack “ takes a whole new meaning

jaymee
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"Kim Kardashian did it"

That's all I need to know to not do it.

kentaronagame
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the things that i watch when i'm bored

kacchan
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This did not convince me to not eat humans

AmariDeraisx
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"It's illegal in US and UK."

Me not from either : Oh yeah, Tom tasted great this morning!

whitesimurgh
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Years ago I watched a program on Nova about cannibalism among one group of people in Papua New Guinea. It was not something that they had as a regular part of their diet, but when a person died consuming them was part of a ritual. Then for some reason they started getting neurological/central nervous system disorders. So the men stopped, but told the women to keep doing it because 'it's tradition'.
So a woman dies of this disease (from cannibalism) and then she is consumed, and other women get the same disease from eating her. I mean, at what point do the women say "Ok clearly this is not the thing to do and we're stopping no matter what the men say about it." But no- cannibalism had to be outlawed by the government before they finally stopped. I don't like to criticize other peoples ways, but dang! Come on now!

kellyfloyd
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"We shouldn't eat humans now a days"

Dark Web: Nervous Sweating*

bearlyalive
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Why did YouTube even recommend this to me? I ain't a cannibal.

ssebinnnyy
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Me: "i wish i could help my friends more"
My cannibal friend: "Well, i do want more protein in my diet..."

maldambao
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All the diseases just sound like problems we have in regular meat. I'm hearing that there isn't a problem

kennethcampbell
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“YOU MIGHT THINK HUMAN MEAT IS A GREAT LOW CALORIES ALTERNATIVE” Yeah I would definitely think that lol

stellajiang
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Why is this video in my recommendations?

Itsbuckjames
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I remember watching a cat give birth and she actually ate the umbilical cord of her kittens, I couldn't phrase how shocked I am at the time

amaichuan
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"why you shouldn't eat humans"
ghouls in tokyo ghoul:👁👄👁💧

meow-wkzf
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This is the kind of content that satisfies my hunger

For knowledge

sakuranovaryan
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"Why cannibalism is bad ?" well because *Common Sense*

ErnestJay
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Hermes: "I ate their 🧠s to gain their knowledge."

sorarouge
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I just suddenly remember the story about an airplane crashing in a snowy mountain and the survivors survived for 2 months and they had to eat human flesh to stay alive.

camilamendes
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