Vermeer D E, Frate D A
Am J Clin Nutr. 1979 Oct;32(10):2129-35. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/32.10.2129.
We investigated geophagia in the black population of rural Holmes County, Mississippi. Twenty-five sources of geophagical clays were located and most of the sources are associated with rural settlements throughout the county. Clays are taken from subsurface soil horizons, and all but one of the sources come from the upland portion of the county. Geophagia occurs among 57% of women and 16% of children of both sexes, but it is not found among adult males or adolescents. Average daily comsumption of clay is 50 g. Our data indicate geophagia is not correlated with hunger, anemia, or helminthic problems, but it may contribute to the common problem of hypertension. Geophagia has been suggested as one of the factors leading to hyperkalemia, but our data do not support this notion.
我们对密西西比州霍姆斯县农村黑人人口中的食土癖现象进行了调查。确定了25个食土黏土来源，其中大部分来源与全县的农村定居点有关。黏土取自地下土壤层，除一个来源外，其他所有来源均来自该县的高地部分。食土癖在57%的女性和16%的儿童（不分性别）中存在，但在成年男性或青少年中未发现。黏土的日均摄入量为50克。我们的数据表明，食土癖与饥饿、贫血或蠕虫问题无关，但可能会导致常见的高血压问题。有人认为食土癖是导致高钾血症的因素之一，但我们的数据不支持这一观点。
