SynthesisAmerican journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council
A meta-analysis of pica and micronutrient status.
Synthesis in American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 132 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Nutrient-Skin Connection: Diagnosing Eating Disorders Through Dermatologic Signs.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Associations Between Sickle Cell Disease, Pica, and Enuresis in Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disorders.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Starving for Data: Eating Disorders Prevalence and Research Gaps in Southern Africa.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Review
- Effects of pica practice on oral bacteriome and mycobiome profiles among pregnant women: A comparative study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Evolutionary history, longevity and terrestriality predictInternational journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2025Article
- Sigmoid Lithobezoar associated with iron deficiency anaemia: a rare case report.Oxford medical case reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Association between pica practice, oral health, and cariogenic microorganisms of US pregnant women: A cross-sectional study.Archives of oral biology · 2025Article
- Geophagia in pregnancy and its association with nutritional status - A prospective cohort study in rural north-eastern Tanzania.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- The "Burden" of Childhood Obesity on Bone Health: A Look at Prevention and Treatment.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Severe Anemia From Vitamin B12 Deficiency Presenting With a Craving for Bleach Powder: An Odd Case of Pica.Case reports in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Gastroduodenal Obstruction Secondary to Pica-associated Bezoar: A Case Report.Clinical practice and cases in emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Sickle Cell Disease and Lead Poisoning in New York City, 2005-2019.Pediatrics · 2024Article
- Association of pica with cortisol and inflammation among Latina pregnant women.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2024Article
- Pica is associated with lower willingness to change negative habits of diet and exercise, inadequate lifestyle, and less healthful food consumption in dialysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Serum Level of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Symptoms of Pica Among Adolescent School Children in Northern Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Study.Global pediatric health · 2024Article
- Article
- First Clinical Nutrition Outpatient Consultation: A Review of Basic Principles in Nutritional Care of Adults with Hematologic Disease.TheScientificWorldJournal · 2023Review
- Similarities and differences regarding acute anorexia nervosa and semi-starvation: does behavioral thermoregulation play a central role?Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2023Article
- Pica in a girl with non-suicidal self-injury: a case report.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesPica is the craving for and consumption of nonfood items, including the ingestion of earth (geophagy), raw starch (amylophagy), and ice (pagophagy). Pica has long been associated with micronutrient deficiencies, but the strength of this relationship is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between pica behavior and the risk of being anemic or having low hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), or plasma zinc (Zn) concentrations.
methodsWe systematically reviewed studies in which micronutrient levels were reported by pica status. We calculated the pooled odds ratio for anemia or weighted mean difference in Hb, Hct, or Zn concentrations between groups practicing or not practicing pica behaviors.
resultsForty-three studies including 6,407 individuals with pica behaviors and 10,277 controls were identified. Pica was associated with 2.35 times greater odds of anemia (95% CI: 1.94-2.85, P < 0.001), lower Hb concentration (-0.65 g/dl, 95% CI: -0.83 to -0.48 g/dl, P < 0.001), lower Hct concentration (-1.15%, 95% CI: -1.61 to -0.70%, P < 0.001), and lower Zn concentration (-34.3 μg/dl, 95% CI: -59.58 to -9.02 μg/dl, P = 0.008). Statistical significance persisted after excluding outliers and in subgroup analyses by pica type and life stage.
conclusionPica is significantly associated with increased risk for anemia and low Hb, Hct, and plasma Zn. Although the direction of the causal relationship between pica and micronutrient deficiency is unknown, the magnitude of these relationships is comparable to other well-recognized causes of micronutrient deficiencies. Pica warrants greater public health attention; specifically the potential physiological mechanisms underpinning the relationship between pica and micronutrient deficiencies merit further study.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.