Why do some people with an iron deficiency eat strange items like dirt etc?

Question

I've recently become vegetarian and i've been researching iron deficiencies and read that some people who have one start to eat things like dirt and ice all the time. Why is that?

Answer 1

Only people with PICA eat dirt. It is a form of mental retardation where they have to test everything in their mouth to see if it tastes good or not. It has nothing to do with iron deficiency.

Answer 2

This is not a myth. There ARE people out there who will get cravings for dirt when they are iron deficent...I suppose if the craving gets great enough, the go ahead and eat some dirt...
This is QUITE common in pregnant women. Ask a few women who have had children and you will probably find at least one who has had a similar craving due to mineral deficencies.

This is NOT a form of PICA. I teach special education and many of my kids have had PICA. It's not just wanting to eat one thing, such as dirt, it is eating all sorts of inedible items...whatever they can get their hands on. I had one kid who would eat the school bus seat every morning and so he wasn't able to take the bus anymore...he would also eat puzzle pieces, coins, scraps of paper, dirt, grass...his parents once found a whole latex glove in his feces after he went to the bathroom...

Answer 3

When there is a severe iron deficiency it can show with a symptom called PICA, that is eating ice chips, paint chips, soil, coins, etc. It happens in children or in pregnant women with very severe iron deficiency, but is very rare. I have never seen a case like that, I only have read about it.

Answer 4

Pica is a mental disorder where people eat non-food substances. Although it has been theorized that people with Pica may have nutritional deficiencies; there is no conclusive scientific proof.

If a child with Pica has an iron deficiency; it usually means the child has a high lead level in the blood--from eating lead paint. High lead and low iron seem to go together--kids with plumbism (lead toxicity) often have their doctors recommend an an iron supplement (ferrous sulphate).

Answer 5

The urge to eat any object that is not considered edible such as dirt, metal, laundry detergent is called PICA. It is usually associated with iron deficiencies or a possible hookworm. Make sure you get enough iron! Leafy green veggies! YaY!

Answer 6

People with iron deficiency anemia don't eat dirt. It's actually nonsense...a myth to be exact. Pica would be a better explanation. which is an abnormal craving for unusual things. Pregnant women commonly experience Pica or "paglilihi" in tagalog but not individuals with IDA...

Answer 7

My two year old son starting eating anything paper...especially facial tissue, paper towel and toilet paper.
We had his iron and lead levels tested. He was dangerously low on iron, which can cause learning difficulties. His lead was fine. The doctor has put him on liquid iron supplements. We have had to remove the easy access to tp and tissues, but the iron drops seems to be helping. Strange cravings should always be discussed with a doctor. Good Luck!

Answer 8

Does anyone do a search anymore?

Have we become so dependent on Yahoo! Answers that we cannot do the research ourselves. Are we that lazy, that you depend on the credibility of a stranger?

It's called GEOPHAGY. Do a Wikipedia and refer to its citations. No, I will not give you the link. CHEESE 'N RICE!

Answer 9

Just take iron supplements!!

Answer 10

They are missing something...my aunt who is about 70 yeas old, can not stop eating ice! I always make sue we have eatable ice if she's coming over.
"Eatable",...bite size.