BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -Doctors use the term “pica” to describe craving and chewing substances that have no nutritional value-such as ice, clay, soil or paper. Craving and chewing ice (pagophagia) is often associated with iron deficiency, with or without anemia, although the reason is unclear.

Detailed explanation-2: -Overview. Iron deficiency anemia is a common type of anemia-a condition in which blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissues.

Detailed explanation-3: -Pica is an eating disorder in which a person eats things not usually considered food. Young kids often put non-food items (like grass or toys) in their mouths because they’re curious about the world around them. But kids with pica (PIE-kuh) go beyond that. Sometimes they eat things that can lead to health problems.

Detailed explanation-4: -Several hypotheses exist about why iron deficiency causes pica, including physiological mechanisms; however, there is no single agreed upon explanation [1, 4]. Pica has been linked to factors of age, gender, religion, culture, nutritional deficiency, stress, and mental development [4].

Detailed explanation-5: -Pica in humans has many different subgroups, defined by the substance that is ingested. Some of the most commonly described types of pica are eating earth, soil, or clay (geophagia); ice (pagophagia); and starch (amylophagia).