The doctor linked the desire to chew ice with a lack of iron in the body

Unusual taste preferences often turn out to be a signal of the help that the body needs. This is how the brain shows that health is in danger and it's time to step in. For example, a passion for ice or something else inedible is one of the signs of iron deficiency. Ekaterina Kashukh, Candidate of Medical Sciences, expert doctor at the Hemotest Laboratory, told Izvestia on August 8 why some people like to chew ice.

According to her, in childhood, the unrestrained desire to chew an icicle or crack a snowball looks quite harmless — a prank and childish curiosity. But sometimes it is difficult for some adults to deal with an unusual addiction — they like to crack and dissolve pieces of ice, drink extremely cold drinks, or secretly pick up and eat snow from the walls of the freezer. This unusual condition is called pagophagia.

"The term pagophagia comes from the Greek words pagos, which means "frost" or "ice", and phagein, which means "to eat". This is one of the three most common types of picacism, an eating disorder in which a person eats or tries to at least chew, lick, or taste something inedible. One of the most common causes of picacism is iron deficiency anemia," says Kashukh.

The exact mechanism of picacism development in people with iron deficiency is not fully understood — there are only various hypotheses on this subject. According to one version, the doctor explained, iron deficiency, especially in combination with zinc and calcium deficiency, can cause cravings for certain substances containing these elements. But pure ice does not contain iron.

According to another version, the brain feels the need for some bright and unusual tastes and sensations in order to "shake up" and activate the nervous system, since iron deficiency anemia is characterized by weakness, lethargy, apathy, and fatigue.

"In any case, if unusual food preferences appear, it would be useful to take a general blood test, check the level of hemoglobin, serum iron and ferritin. These are basic laboratory tests, which should preferably be performed once a year, even if nothing bothers," the specialist clarified.

If the test results show any abnormalities, they should be discussed with a doctor: if necessary, he will select drugs that will help fill the deficit. You should not prescribe them yourself: it is important to choose an effective medicine in a safe dosage, since excess iron can harm your health.

Any type of picaism is often combined with other eating disorders and occurs in people with various mental disorders.

"In this case, craving for something inedible is not the only symptom. It is worth contacting a psychiatrist if a person generally behaves strangely: he has become withdrawn or, conversely, irritable, overly excited, he has hallucinations," the specialist summarizes.

Denis Banny, an expert at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia on January 26 that chronic iron deficiency disrupts the functioning of many systems and organs: the risk of heart failure and tachycardia increases, concentration, memory and learning ability deteriorate, the body becomes vulnerable to infections, the menstrual cycle is disrupted in women, and difficulties arise with conception.

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