6 days ago
‘Like a superpower': Nikita Tszyu reveals wild pre-fight diet consisting of placenta and breast milk
Nikita Tszyu's new pre-fight diet has raised more than a few eyebrows after the Aussie star revealed it includes capsulised placenta and breast milk.
Tszyu and his wife, Nikita Bedwell, who married in secret in January, welcomed their first child together in June - named Curiosity after a NASA Mars rover.
While the name is unique, so is the way Tszyu is preparing for his fight against Lulzim Ismaili on August 20.
Tszyu told Triple M Breakfast on Wednesday that turning to capsulated placenta and breast milk has given him 'a crazy amount of energy' and joked he's 'technically become a cannibal.'
'So, for those who don't know, I just had a baby. And my wife … we freeze-dried her placenta and I've been supplementing on her placenta recently … in tablet form,' Tszyu said.
'I've technically become a cannibal. It's actually like a superpower.'
Triple M's Aaron Woods chimed in: 'They reckon breast milk is the best thing you can have! It's so clean.'
Tszyu replied: 'Yeah, and it's delicious as well!'
Drinking breast milk rose in popularity on the back of weightlifters who claimed they gained extra muscle when switching from full cream to natural breast milk.
However, no substantial research into the claim has ever been done.
That's because, scientifically, it doesn't make sense.
The idea of building muscle largely comes down to protein intake and targeted exercise.
And if that is the marker, consuming breast milk instead of cow's milk makes zero sense.
For example, 100g of breast milk contains around 1g of protein, compared to 3.1g of protein in full cream milk.
The only areas where it is significantly higher are in sugars and fat.
As for the placenta claim, Tszyu is just the latest to try a practice that is becoming increasingly common.
Stars such as Hilary Duff and Kourtney Kardashian have consumed their placenta – either in liquid or capsule form – after having children.
The placenta is a temporary organ, and its sole purpose is to provide the baby with nutrients during pregnancy.
And in recent years, placenta tablets – which are pills created by drying and grinding up the placenta into a powder, then encapsulating it – have boomed in popularity.
Research is, however, limited on its effectiveness, but the BBC reported in 2015 that there are no proven benefits to consuming it and if anything, it could be harmful.
But for Tszyu, he says he feels the difference.
'I've done tests with my sparring – days where I've had it and days where I haven't – and it feels like I got all this crazy amount of energy,' he told Triple M.
The science on its benefits is still unclear, but regardless, it's safe to say Tszyu isn't leaving any stone unturned as he looks to improve his record to 13-0 when he takes on Lulzim Ismaili on August 20.
