A company that harvests stem cells from placentas has admitted an 'error' in one of its promotions, following a BBC investigation. Cells4Life, based in West Sussex, charges parents between £1,495 and £2,090 to collect and store stem cells from umbilical cord blood, claiming it provides insurance against future diseases.
Health watchdog NICE recommends not clamping the umbilical cord before one minute after birth to allow blood flow to the baby. However, Cells4Life's blog described immediate clamping as 'under 60 seconds' and delayed clamping as 'more than 30', creating confusion. Chief operating officer Claudia Rees acknowledged this was 'contradictory' and 'an error', adding that the company does not advise on clamping timing.
NICE states that delayed cord clamping benefits babies by increasing iron transfer, essential for brain development, and stabilising blood pressure. Prof Andrew Weeks from the University of Liverpool warned that immediate clamping could harm babies by leaving a quarter of blood in the placenta, saying: 'I don't think it's appropriate to harm a baby in order to take its stem cells.'
Cells4Life was previously ruled against by the Advertising Standards Authority in 2015 for misleading claims about cord blood storage. The company is currently under another ASA investigation following complaints from competitors. Despite this, some parents like Lauren Truelove, who banked her baby's cord blood, view it as 'future-proofing.'
