Revisiting geophagy: An evolved sickness behavior to microbiome‐mediated gastrointestinal inflammation
Achsah F. Dorsey,
Elizabeth M. Miller
Abstract:Geophagy, the consumption of clay or similar substances, is known as an evolved behavior that protects vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and children, against gastrointestinal injury. However, perplexing questions remain, like the presence of geophagy in the absence of overt gastrointestinal infection and the potential causal relationship between geophagy and iron deficiency anemia. In this review, we hypothesize that geophagy is an inflammation‐mediated sickness behavior regulated via the vagus n… Show more
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