Plus, if calcium deficiency drove people to eat dirt, one would expect them to do it most often at life stages when they need calcium the most -- adolescence or old age. But that isn't the case, according to the database.
Reports do indicate that geophagy is often associated with anemia, but several studies have shown that cravings for earth continue even after people are given iron supplements. What's more, some research suggests that clay can bind to nutrients in the stomach, making them hard to digest. If that's true, it's not a lack of nutrients that causes geophagy; rather it could be the other way around. Overall, the protection hypothesis fits the data best, the Cornell researchers found. The database shows that geophagy is documented most commonly in women in the early stages of pregnancy and in pre-adolescent children.
Both categories of people are especially sensitive to parasites and pathogens, according to Young and her colleagues. In addition, geophagy is most common in tropical climates where foodborne microbes are abundant. Finally, the database shows that people often eat earth during episodes of gastrointestinal stress.
It's unlikely the intestinal problems are caused by the dirt itself because the type of clay people usually eat comes from deep in the ground, where pathogens and parasites are unlikely to contaminate it. Plus, people usually boil the clay before eating it. More study would be helpful to confirm the protection hypothesis, the researchers say, but the available data at this point clearly support it over the other explanations. These individuals may include:. There are several approaches that can be exercised in the treatment of pica.
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. A physician may run blood tests to determine if the reason for the disorder may be a result of a nutritional deficiency. If this is the case, nutrients that are lacking are supplemented. Young has spent nearly two decades getting her head round this behaviour, and in a comprehensive study analysing nearly historical and contemporary accounts from around the world, she and her fellow researchers documented its global prevalence. Consumption seems to be higher in the tropics, and two groups tend to gravitate towards it in particular: children predictably, perhaps and pregnant women.
Of course, the lower rates seen in other countries could well be a result of underreporting owing to cultural taboos. Understandably, Young was shocked. Just because we crave something, doesn't mean it's good for us Credit: Getty Images. Indeed, Western medicine has traditionally regarded geophagy as pathological, classing it as a form of pica , the condition also attributed to those who intentionally ingest such harmful substances as glass or bleach.
And yet clearly in Cameroon there is no taboo surrounding the practice. Similarly, Young describes her surprise when, working in Kenya , she found she could buy packets of earth in a range of flavours, including black pepper and cardamom.
Young asks me if there are any African grocery stores near where I live, in South London. I say yes. I gingerly put a small piece in my mouth. The grit sucks all of the water from my tongue, forming a paste that sticks to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter.
I briefly entertain the thought that it tasted a little bit like smoked meat, before deciding that no, actually it tasted much more like dirt. Could eating earth be making up for a shortage in certain minerals? Learn how to recognize, treat, and cope with bigorexia, and how to remove the stigma around physical appearance that can lead to bigorexia.
Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Why people eat dirt Dangers Purported benefits How to stop When to see a doctor Takeaway Geophagia, the practice of eating dirt, has existed all over the world throughout history. The why. The dangers. Are there benefits? How to stop. When to see a doctor. The bottom line. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.
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