![]() Geophagy in pregnant women and pre-adolescent children might also be a cultural response to protect these vulnerable populations from damage from parasites and other pathogens. Furthermore, while the mineral makeup of the soil will differ from area to area, common minerals in the soil include high levels of calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, and zinc all of which are critical for developing fetuses. While almost all pregnant women in developed nations regularly take iron supplements as part of their prenatal vitamin package, women in other parts of the world might be forced to get the necessary iron from the soil. More than a third of expectant mothers could be at substantial risk of suffering from pregnancy complications such as miscarriage or preterm birth due to iron deficiency. Iron deficiency, however, does not just affect pregnant women in low-income developing countries. ![]() According to one study by the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 42 percent of pregnant womenhave been found to suffer anemia, and over 60 percent of this anemia is assumed to be due to iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is a serious problem faced by pregnant women around the world. In a recent article published by the BBC, Young tells the following story about her fieldwork in rural Tanzania: “ I was conducting interviews with pregnant women about iron deficiency anemia…I was sitting on the floor of this woman’s house, and I asked her what she liked to eat during pregnancy, and she said: ‘Twice a day, I take earth from the wall of my house and I eat it.’” Sera Young, the resident geophagy expert at Cornell University, has studied the practice of eating dirt in different cultures around the world. The Health Benefits of Geophagy for Pregnant Women and Children In various cultures around the world, children and pregnant women are the two main groups that tend to most commonly practice geophagy. Many indigenous cultures around the world most likely included certain types of soils and clays in their diet as a cultural response to a lack of certain vitamins and minerals in their traditional diets. This has been shown to improve food intake and increase feed conversion efficiency. In short, clay is an extremely useful medicine.” Furthermore, free-range cattle (like deer and other wild mammals) are known to regularly dig and lick at subsoil clay. One study looking at the process of geophagy in animals found that “clays can bind mycotoxins (fungal toxins), endotoxins (internal toxins), manmade toxic chemicals, and bacteria, and they can protect the gut lining from corrosion, acting as an antacid and curbing diarrhea. While many types of soil do have high levels of iron and can thus help with anemia, clay soils in particular offer several other potential health benefits. Today, the idea of eating dirt is often derided and explained as an anti-hygienic practice affecting poorer communities where poor nutrition has led to high levels of anemia. ![]() While eating dirt or clay is currently practiced by certain groups around the world, anthropologists have found a higher incidence of geophagy in the tropics. The practice of geophagy has been found by researchers on every human-inhabited continent. In this short article, we explain the cultural and historical roots of geophagy, take a quick look at the potential health benefits of geophagy for pregnant women and children, and then turn to some recent studies on how increased exposure to the myriad microbial life in the soil might be beneficial for our overall health. According to one analysis, the rates of pregnant women eating soil or clay range from 28 percent in Tanzania to up to 65 percent in Kenya. Up to 30 grams of clay is regularly eaten, especially by pregnant women. Across the African continent, kaolin clay sourced from termite mounds is sold in markets. ![]() Around the world, geophagy, or the practice of eating dirt is not just the result of childhood games, but rather a widespread and surprisingly common cultural practice. We probably also received a firm scolding from our mothers when one of those imaginary tortillas or mud pies made its way into our mouth.Īccording to several recent studies, however, perhaps parents should have second-guessed their futile attempts to keep their children from eating dirt. The ability to take a bit of soil, add some water, and begin to shape that soil into a delectable smorgasbord of imaginary food items is one of those universal childhood games. As a child, most of us at some time or another probably made mud pies or dirt tortillas.
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