We're willing to bet that no one reading this has actually considered cannibalism as a dietary choice, but some may have considered the one situation in which they might be forced to eat human flesh. Maybe if you're ever trapped in the snowy mountains with a friend who has already died and you literally have no other way to stay alive?
Well, on the slim chance that anything like that ever happens, the people at ASAP Science have broken down what happened to societies that used to practice cannibalism, or what could possibly happen if you were forced to eat your friend.
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And, tbh, it looks pretty bleak — although, if you're in a situation that requires feasting on another human, things are probably already pretty dire.
Firstly, unless the human meat you eat is properly cared for, you run a risk for catching blood-borne diseases like hepatitis and ebola — on top of an infection risk from gut bacteria like E-coli.
Secondly, although we're not a fan of counting calories, the guys at ASAP Science mention that humans aren't exactly a lean meat. Apparently, the average thigh has about 10,000 calories and a whole human is more than 80,000 — much of those from fat.
Thirdly, many humans have things called prions in their muscles and organs. Prions are mutated proteins that have lost their shape and function and can infect other proteins. As more proteins turn into prion proteins, they can cause diseases that literally put holes in the brain — making it kind of like a sponge. If you eat meat that has prions in it, your risk for developing prion diseases is high.
So there you are — everything you need to know about the health risks of cannibalism. You know...just in case.
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