Tag: Prion diseases

Over centuries, many cultures have embraced eating animal brains as a delicacy, valuing them for their unique texture and flavor. As part of the 'nose-to-tail' eating movement, modern consumers are now re-evaluating the question: is there nutritional value in brains, and is it a safe food source?.

While a typical modern human body contains over 125,000 calories, a 2017 study concluded that, from a purely nutritional perspective, humans are surprisingly inefficient as a food source compared to other prehistoric prey. The question, is the human body nutritious, therefore, leads to a much more complex and dangerous answer rooted in biology, risk, and ethics.

According to a 2017 study published in *Scientific Reports*, the caloric value of a single human body is significantly lower than that of many prehistoric megafauna, providing surprisingly low nutritional return. This fact is a central piece of information when considering the question: does eating humans have any nutritional value, and why was it practiced historically?

According to the World Health Organization, the average time between infection and the onset of symptoms for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) can be four to five years. A significant risk associated with consuming nervous tissue is the transmission of fatal prion diseases, which can also affect humans. This makes understanding what are the risks of eating brain crucial for anyone considering this delicacy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the human version of 'mad cow disease,' known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), can be contracted by consuming nerve tissue, such as brain, from an infected cow. This serious risk is one of the most prominent disadvantages of eating cow brain, which also includes significant nutritional downsides and other health threats.

According to research from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, prions require temperatures of 900°F and above for several hours to be reliably destroyed. This astonishing heat resistance is the primary reason why the question 'can you get prions from cooked meat?' requires a nuanced and serious answer for public health. Understanding why standard cooking methods are ineffective against these misfolded proteins is crucial for preventing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).

The disease Kuru, documented in the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, was transmitted through the ritualistic consumption of infected human brain tissue. This practice highlights the significant health risks associated with eating brain, particularly human brain, though various cultures incorporate animal brains into their cuisine as a delicacy.