Pica in pregnant teens linked to low iron

http://mediarelations.cornell.edu/2014/08/20/pica-in-pregnant-teens-linked-to-low-iron/

August 20, 2014 By Melissa Osgood

ITHACA, N.Y. – In a study of 158 pregnant teenagers in Rochester, NY, nearly half engaged in pica – the craving and intentional consumption of ice, cornstarch, vacuum dust, baby powder and soap, and other nonfood items, reports a new Cornell study.

Moreover, such teens had significantly lower iron levels as compared with teens who did not eat nonfood substances.

Pregnant teens, regardless of pica, are at higher risk for low hemoglobin, which can lead to iron deficiency and anemia. Low iron in pregnant teens raises the risk of premature births and babies with low birth weights, which in turn increases infant mortality rates.

“In this study, the strength of the association between pica and anemia is as big as any known causal factor of anemia in pregnant teens; this is a very strong association,” said Sera Young, a research scientist in nutritional sciences in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology and a co-author of the study published online in the Journal of Nutrition.

In the study, pica behaviors and iron deficiency increased over the course of the pregnancies.

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