Health Tip: Possible Triggers for Pica

Causes cravings to eat things that aren't food

November 2, 2009 RSS Feed Print

(HealthDay News) -- Pica often affects children with developmental disorders, pregnant women and sometimes people with epilepsy. It's characterized by a craving to eat non-food substances, such as paint, plaster, chalk, cornstarch, dirt or cigarettes.

The Nemours Foundation mentions these possible triggers for pica:

Being deficient in vitamins and minerals, such as iron or zinc.
Dieting too strictly.
Being malnourished.
Lack of parental supervision.
Having a developmental problem, such as autism or mental retardation.
Having certain mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia or obsessive compulsive disorder.