Meghan Fox and her fiance, rapper Colson "Machine Gun Kelly" Baker, have recently made headlines after claiming to drink each other's blood every once in a while. Fox told Glamour UK in a recent interview that they only drink just a few drops of blood and consume it on occasion for ritual purposes only.
Due to this revelation, many people wonder whether it is safe to drink human blood and if it does have some benefits. Now, the leader of a real-life vampire organization stated that partaking in somebody's blood could be dangerous and should be taken with caution.
Vampire Association Says Drinking Human Blood Could Be Dangerous
Leaders of the New Orleans Vampire Association (NOVA) said in an interview with TMZ that it is not advisable to drink other people's blood and should only be done under the supervision of experts when they can not resist the urge.
The real-life vampire group's co-founder Belfazaar Ashantison told the site that blood should be tested first for any blood-borne diseases. He also confesses that self-identified vampires like him get their blood checked regularly to ensure they have healthy blood in their bodies.
Moreover, Father Sebastiaan who is the founder of the annual event called Endless Night Vampire Ball said that the blood should only be drawn by a medical official.
Most vampires do extensive research on their blood donors before drinking even a single drop of blood, Ashantison added. Mostly, it takes them six months to get to know their donor and feel comfortable drinking their blood.
Both leaders are part of a bigger group of self-identified vampires in New Orleans that have largely kept to themselves to not attract the public's prying eyes, according to the 2015 Washington Post profile.
Is It Safe to Drink Human Blood?
According to Futurism's report, medical professionals are even less keen on the practice of drinking blood. Even a few drops of blood could result in an iron overdose or hemochromatosis, which is toxic to the body and may cause liver damage, dehydration, and low blood pressure. Also, ingesting contaminated blood could transmit blood-borne diseases like Hepatitis B, C, and HIV.
Even so, thousands of Americans drink blood for various reasons, according to Live Science. Some said drinking blood gave them energy.
Meanwhile, some animals have evolved to have specialized digestive mechanisms allowing them to drink blood safely. For example, vampire bats require an enormous amount of iron to help make hemoglobin for carrying oxygenated blood to their body tissues from the lungs. Since their intake is larger than they need, they developed a technique of secreting the excess.
On the other hand, humans are not bats and therefore have not evolved any mechanism to digest blood in their system. That is why drinking blood can be toxic and detrimental to their health.
When is Using Blood Safe?
Some studies have shown that using one's own blood for platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) could help in healing wounds and sports injuries.
But as Healthline reported, this method does not involve drinking the blood because it is administered through injections.
Drinking blood will not have the same therapeutic effect, and consuming too much blood from a busted lip may make the person nauseous and vomit. In a worst-case scenario, this could even result in hemochromatosis.
RELATED ARTICLE: Regular Voluntary Blood Donation Reduces Forever Chemicals Linked to Obesity, Diabetes and Cancer, Study Claims
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