Pagophagia

[Socratic Spelunker]

I heard from a very reputable online medical journal (Cracked.com) that Pagophagia, the compulsive need to chew ice, is caused by iron deficiency.

Curious, I looked into it, but read that its not CAUSED BY iron deficiency, but that it CAUSES iron deficiency.

Anyone know anything about the relationship between ice chewing and iron deficiency?

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Curious, I looked into it, but read that its not CAUSED BY iron deficiency, but that it CAUSES iron deficiency.

What is your source of info? A quick look at wikipedia reveals: “In one case study, pagophagia was reported to cause iron deficiency anemia. At the same time, however, the researchers suggested that chewing ice may benefit stomatitis and glossitis.”

So, one study suggesting the reverse causal relationship is not enough to re-formulate opinions. Of course, wikipedia info should always be taken with a grain of salt. (Pun intended.) You should chase up that report.

 

[Socratic Spelunker]

What is your source of info? A quick look at wikipedia reveals: “In one case study, pagophagia was reported to cause iron deficiency anemia. At the same time, however, the researchers suggested that chewing ice may benefit stomatitis and glossitis.”

I looked at a bunch of sources all over Google, Google Scholar, and others. Wikipedia was one of them, but they all told me different things, so I was hoping someone here could give me something definitive or at least point me in a helpful direction.