Why do some people crave dirt or mud?!
Why do some people crave dirt or mud?
I know sometimes we crave foods cuz they have certin stuff in them but why would someone crave dirt or mud?
Answers:
It's called pica. Look it up in the dictionary.
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cuz they are lacking nutrition.
because of hormones
Are you talking about the dirt pie or mud pudding? Because that stuff is great!
It's called pica and it sometimes happens with pregnant women. It's to do with anaemia, or iron deficiency. There is presumably iron in the soil or dirt.
Because their body needs minerals, and that's the way our body tells us we need something..
It is called Pica Cravings.
Pica is the persistent craving and compulsive eating of nonfood substances. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, classifies it as a feeding and eating disorder of childhood.
Description
The puzzling phenomenon of pica has been recognized and described since ancient times. Pica has been observed in ethnic groups worldwide, in both primitive and modernized cultures, in both sexes, and in all age groups. The word pica comes from the Latin name for magpie, a bird known for its unusual and indiscriminate eating habits. In addition to humans, pica has been observed in other animals, including the chimpanzee.
Pica in humans has many different subgroups, defined by the substance that is ingested. Some of the most commonly described types of pica are eating earth, soil or clay (geophagia), ice (pagophagia) and starch (amylophagia). However, pica involving dozens of other substances, including cigarette butts and ashes, hair, paint chips, and paper have also been reported. In one unusual case, the patient ingested transdermal patches of fentanyl, an opioid medication given for severe pain. Eating the skin patch increased the patient's dose of the drug by a factor of 10.
Although pica can occur in individuals of any background, a higher incidence of pica is associated with:
pregnancy
developmental delay and mental retardation
psychiatric disease and autism
early childhood
poor nutrition or low blood levels of iron and other minerals
certain cultural or religious traditions
Causes and symptoms
Evidence suggests that there may be several causes of pica. One widely held theory points to iron deficiency as a major cause of pica. Several reports have described pica in individuals with documented iron deficiency, although there has been uncertainty as to whether the iron deficiency was a cause of pica or a result of it. Because some substances, such as clay, are believed to block the absorption of iron into the bloodstream, it was thought that low blood levels of iron could be the direct result of pica. However, some studies have shown that pica cravings in individuals with iron deficiency stop once iron supplements are given to correct the deficiency. Another study looked specifically at the rate of iron absorption during pica conditions and normal dietary behavior, and showed that the iron absorption was not decreased by pica. In addition, low blood levels of iron commonly occur in pregnant women and those with poor nutrition, two populations at higher risk for pica. Such findings offer strong support of iron deficiency as a cause, rather than result, of pica.
Other reports suggest that pica may have a psychological basis and may even fall into the spectrum of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Pica has a higher incidence in populations with an underlying diagnosis involving mental functioning. These diagnoses include psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, developmental disorders including autism, and conditions with mental retardation. These conditions are not characterized by iron deficiency, which supports a psychological component in the cause of pica.
Cultural and religious traditions may also play a role in pica behavior. In some cultures, nonfood substances are believed to have positive health or spiritual effects. Among some African Americans in the south, ingesting a particular kind of white clay is believed to promote health and reduce morning sickness during pregnancy. Other cultures practice pica out of belief that eating a particular substance may promote fertility or bring good luck.
The hallmark feature of pica, consistently consuming nonfood substances, often does not present publicly. People may be embarrassed to admit to these unusual eating habits, and may hide it from their family and physician. In other cases, an individual may not report the pica to a physician simply because of a lack of knowledge of pica's potential medical significance.
Because the eating behaviors of pica are not usually detected or reported, it is the complications of the behavior that bring it to attention. Complications vary, depending on the type of pica. Geophagia has potential side effects that most commonly affect the intestine and bowel. Complications can include constipation, cramping, pain, obstruction caused by formation of an indigestible mass, perforation from sharp objects like rocks or gravel, and contamination and infection from soil-dwelling parasites.
Amylophagia usually involves the consumption of cornstarch and, less frequently, laundry starch. The high caloric content of starch can cause excessive weight gain, while at the same time leading to malnutrition, as starch contributes "empty" calories lacking vitamins and minerals. Amylophagia during pregnancy can mimic gestational diabetes in its presentation and even in its potential harmful effects on the fetus.
Pica involving the ingestion of substances such as lead-based paint or paper containing mercury can cause symptoms of toxic poisoning. Compulsive consumption of even a seemingly harmless substance like ice (pagophagia) can have negative side effects, including decreased absorption of nutrients by the gut.
It's called pica. The craving for non food items such as dirt, mud, wood, paper, etc. I think it's usually caused by mal nurishment.
Everyone has unique tastebuds. Some people like the taste of lobster while others find it revolting, same with onions. I have never craved dirt or mud. Maybe it has something to do with them being tricked into eating "mud pies" by older children when they were young. Maybe they live in a third world country, and nothing grows, so they savor the taste of fresh sand. I know people in iran eat mud and mix it with fresh camel (its a delicacy, they also eat pickled kittens in puppy sauce). However its best to deny such cravings.
Chimpanzees live most of their life in the trees, eating basically a raw fruit diet. But, they will risk their lives to and go to the jungle floor in order to eat clay. Micro-nutrients, minerals, etc. Clay is a rich source. Actually, I have some powdered clay (eating clay, not pottery clay) in my cupboard and I find that it tastes great; well, not the taste on my tongue, but I get that same satisfied feeling of eating something good, although it does taste just like clay. I haven't had any in a long time, I think I'll start again as I am reminded of it now.
lots of minerals in the clay. Pregnant women sometime crave it. Lots of animals eat it such as chimps and elephants.
Its a medical condition called pica. The body is missing out on an elemantal nutrient, so it craves odd things such as dirt or laundry starch.
that's a sign of a nutrition deficiency. the person is probably lacking iron.
calcium deficiency.nothing else