How safe is it to eat clay ?

During pregnancy, some women have cravings for certain items which are not food. This is what is called pica. Some women have cravings for ice, some have cravings for soap and some have cravings for paper. Some even have cravings for clay (geophagia).

The craving for clay (called ayilo in Ghana) is not restricted to pregnant women alone. There are some women who are not pregnant, yet eat clay for various reasons; some men also eat clay. But for many of those who eat clay, very little or no thought has been given to how this practice could affect one’s health. Here’s how eating clay could affect your health.

Geophagia is an accepted cultural practice in certain parts of the world like in South Africa where it is believed to make the skin softer and gives it a better complexion. However, this condition may be as a result of iron deficiency. In pregnant women, this craving is as a result of their loss of iron as pica is a sign of iron deficiency anaemia.

While this practice may be pleasurable to those who indulge in it, there are health consequences associated with it. Studies have shown that even though there are some minerals in the clay that people buy to eat, some of these minerals are not bioavailable (the body is not able to absorb and utilize the minerals). This is because these minerals contained in the clay are not the same kind as that found in food. Further, eating clay could pose some health risks as the microorganisms and their spores in the clay could cause infections leading to serious complications. Also, some small animals such as worms and their eggs could be ingested and could cause life-threatening infections.

Interestingly, some experts have said that eating clay is an effective way of removing toxins from the body. They explain that the clay binds to the toxins and these are removed from the body by egestion. Nonetheless, this claim is based on individuals’ accounts and there’s the need for more scientific research into this to ascertain the veracity of this claim.