23. Geophagy Flashcards
What is geophagy
practice of eating soil or soil like substances such as clay and chalk
where does geophagy occur most frequently
rural or pre-industrial societies
children and pregnant women from poor backgrounds in developing countries
what does wikipedia say geophagy is related to
PICA
what is PICA
abnormal cravings for non-nutritive items
is geophagy widespread
yes amongst non human primates, which means it predates human evolution
what does vermeer say about soil consumption
that it is normal range of human behaviour
what is oldest evidence of geophagy
calcium rich white clay found alongside bones of Homo Habilus at Kalambo Falls near Zambia and Tanzania borders
what did pilny note about geophagy
noted soil ingestion in Lemnos, an island in Greece, noted till 14th century
what does Hippocrates book mention
geophagy seems to link to anaemia
Historical evidence from South America
who was interested
which tribe
where was it
Alexander Von Humboldt was fascinated by eating earth practices
Otomacs tribe
By Orinoco River in Venezuela
what did alexander von humboldt find out about south america geophagy
otomacs eat earth to appease hunger
very fine clay, yellowish gray colour
slightly baked in fire
crust hardened to red, due to iron oxides mingled
only eat the smoothest clay
what was the historical evidencee of geophagy from Indonesia
island name
how did they cook it and sell it
what was clay rich in
Island : JAVA
square reddish cakes called Taanampo were slighly baked clay
Iron rich clay
rolled into cylinders like cinammon called ampo
what was the historical evidencee of geophagy from africa
who wrote about it
who ate soil
which city ate soil
how did they come about that habit
David Livingstone
slaves eating soil
Zanzibar
Brought along soil-eating practices when they were shipped to new world during transatlantic slave trade
why did slaves in america continue to practice geophagy
- for medicinal purposes and precieved nutrition
- cultural reasons
- eat excessively so they get sick and don’t have to work
- commit suicide so their spirit would return to home land
was this suicide tactic used by slaves useful
yes plantations had to be abandoned
some slave owners forced slaves to wear masks so they can’t eat the soil
what was the historical evidencee of geophagy from africa
who else was it common with except slaves
why did they eat it
why have some women gone to eat it
is it still sold
Southern part of US poor whites used to eat it too in early 1900s
men : thought it increased sexual prowess
women: easier delivery
Less prevlant now as rural americans have assimilated into urban culture
but it is still cooked, baked and processeed, this dirt and clay is still sold in rural flea markets
what is the type of clay eaten in africa
Kaolin
why is kaolin eaten
to surpress hunger and pleasure
where is kaolin sold most in
Cameroon
what is kaolin flavoured with
black pepper and cardamom
which type of people eat kaolin most
pregnant women and women in general
why do pregnant or lactating women eat clay
to reduce nausea and supplment mineral defficient diet
why some researches tell africans not to eat clay
suspects clay coats GI tract and absorbs toxins, which is why a substance found in clay is also found in some western anti-diarrheal medicines
can also contain harmful parasites
leading to lead poisoning, intestinal obstruction and colon rupture
why are women in tanzania addicted to soil
soil mixed with clay here
positives : helps pregnant women get rid of sour taste in mouth
rich in minerals, copper, iron and magensium
negatives: bacterias, worms as larvae can develop in stomach
soil going into appendix to cause appendicitis
what did geophagy in Kenya show
how many percent of kids ate soil
how many pregnant women ate soil
what is school children median soil intake
73% of 285 children between 5-18 years old ate soil
154/275 pregnant women ate soil regularly
median soil intake by school children was 28g/day
a shoe box full a week was ingested
Haiti geophagy
what do they usually eat
health impacts
biscuits made from soil, salt and vegetable shortening
minimal nutrition but keep poor alive
cause stomach pains and malnutrition
Summary of reasons why people eat soil (6)
- Famine, soil gives sensation of fullness to stomach
- Digsetive aid to detoxify food. nearly 160 wild potato species in Andes have toxic chemicals. indegnois people eat the potatoes with clay and mutard herb dip. prevents absorbtion into intenstinal tract and promote excretion
- Pharmaceutical. Treat nausea, intestinal upset, poison antidote and traiditonal remedy
- Psychological reasons to handle anxiety
- Intentional suicide or illness
- Percieved nutritional beenfit
what are the macronutrients in soil
phosphorus
potassium
calcium
magnesium
what are micronutrients in soil
copper
zinc
manganese
iron
what is phosphorus main role in nutrition
bind with calcium to form bone
cell division
deficiency rarely seen since every food contains it
but if there is, impaired growth of skeletal systems
what is Potassium main role in nutrition
catalyst in protein synthesis and energy release
water balance, muscle contraction
what is calcium main role in nutrition
bone growth, muscle contraction
defficiencya; rickets, osteoporosis and osteomalacia
what is magnesium main role in nutrition
protein syntehsis
energy release
calcification
thryoxine secretion
nerve impulse conduction
metabolic rate
deficiency: impaires growth
what is copper main role in nutrition
Hemoglobin formation and enzyme systems
deficiency: anaemia, retarded growth , nervou disorders and depigmentation
what is zinc main role in nutrition
metabolism
sexual development
deficiencya: stunted growth
what is manganese main role in nutrition
catalyst for enzymes
stores thiamine
too much: reduces iron and copper in body
too low: poor reproductive ability
what is iron main role in nutrition
hemoglobin syntehsis
carries oxygen
too much: siderosis and haemochromatosis
too less: anaemia
conclusions of geophagy in study
proportion of nutrients consumed are actually absorbed and used by body can not be drawn.
what is highest mineral level in soil
calcium and iron and magnesium
geophagic clays in southern nigeria study
see how clay plays a part in geophagy
Asaba, Benin, Ibada and Aramoko-Ekiti
which two microoragsnims were common in all samples of soil
Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus acidiophilus
what did geographic clays nutrition value show
little to no nutritional values for humans
what did it say about kaolinite content in clays in research
coudl serve as antacid
but bacteria could be harmful on clays
summary of negative effects of eating soil and clay
- Mineral deficiencies: mainly iron
- only 0.5% of the iron in it can be absorbed by human body and since clay binds to iron it makes it insoluble and unable to digest - toxicity: high heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, arsenic and lead
- ingestion of bacteria and geohelminths
- intestinal blockage and excessive tooth wear
what is geohelminths
parasitic worms
why was clay used as popular poison antidote in ancient times
maybe cause it could bind to some elements
