ReviewEnvironmental geochemistry and health2019
Review of the nature of some geophagic materials and their potential health effects on pregnant women: some examples from Africa.
Review in Environmental geochemistry and health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Maternal geophagy in Ghana: a mini review of toxicological, microbial, nutritional, and radiological exposure pathways.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- 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
- Geophagy: uses and perceptions of women of childbearing age in Tshwane District, Gauteng Province-a qualitative study.BMJ public health · 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
- Geophagia: Benefits and potential toxicity to human-A review.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- Current status of research and gaps in knowledge of geophagic practices in Africa.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Review
- Geochemical and mineralogical composition of geophagic materials from Baringo town, Kenyan Rift Valley and their possible health effects on the consumers.Environmental geochemistry and health · 2021Article
- Geophagia and risk of squamous cell esophageal cancer in the African esophageal cancer corridor: Findings from the ESCCAPE multicountry case-control studies.International journal of cancer · 2021Article
- Soil-Transmitted Helminthic Infections and Geophagia among Pregnant Women in Jimma Town Health Institutions, Southwest Ethiopia.Ethiopian journal of health sciences · 2021Article
- Geophagic Clays from Cameroon: Provenance, Metal Contamination and Health Risk Assessment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- I Like the Way You Eat It: Lemur (Indri indri) Gut Mycobiome and Geophagy.Microbial ecology · 2021Article
- Cadmium and lead in geophagic clay consumed in Southern Nigeria: health risk from such traditional nutraceutical.Environmental geochemistry and health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The voluntary human consumption of soil known as geophagy is a global practice and deep-rooted in many African cultures. The nature of geophagic material varies widely from the types to the composition. Generally, clay and termite mound soils are the main materials consumed by geophagists. Several studies revealed that gestating women across the world consume more soil than other groups for numerous motives. These motivations are related to medicinal, cultural and nutrients supplementation. Although geophagy in pregnancy (GiP) is a universal dynamic habit, the highest prevalence has been reported in African countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa. Geophagy can be both beneficial and detrimental. Its health effects depend on the amount and composition of the ingested soils, which is subjective to the geology and soil formation processes. In most cases, the negative health effects concomitant with the practice of geophagy eclipse the positive effects. Therefore, knowledge about the nature of geophagic material and the health effects that might arise from their consumption is important.
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Registered trials
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