Ice, Ice baby
Posted on | June 23, 2010 | No Comments
My sister is always munching on ice, and truthfully, it’s kind of annoying to have that constant crunchy noise in the background. We all tried to get her to stop but she just wouldn’t give up the ‘habit’. She is a bit nutty anyway, so we just let it go hoping that eventually she would get over it.
Today however, while I was getting my daily dose of news, I found an article on NY Times that suggests that my sister’s ice cravings – called pagophagia – are not just a bad habit but is actually sign of iron-deficiency anemia.
Anemia is a lack of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) or hemoglobin, either of which ultimately lowers the ability to carry oxygen in the blood, leading to hypoxia. Iron is necessary for proper hemoglobin functioning, and therefore lack of it also leads to anemia, which apparently leads to pagophagia. Iron supplements in the diet curtail these ice cravings, so there must be a connection but I’m not quite sure if I understand it. I don’t think anyone does. There are a few theories I found, but nothing conclusive or even remotely satisfying. So, I’ll hold on my judgments but as soon as I find something plausible, I’ll post it.
Basically, if you can’t seem to get enough ice ever, start eating some broccoli and perhaps even some iron supplements. Your teeth won’t be destroyed, your tissues will get more oxygen, and more importantly, your annoyingness meter will go down a few notches.
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