TLDR Iron therapy resolved uncooked rice cravings and symptoms in women with iron deficiency.
The document reported on two nonpregnant women from India and Pakistan living in the USA who exhibited pica for uncooked basmati rice, a condition known as ryzophagia. Both women experienced fatigue, abdominal discomfort, hair loss, and tooth damage due to their consumption of uncooked rice. They were vegetarians and suffered from iron deficiency with microcytic anemia, linked to menorrhagia and multiparity. After receiving iron dextran therapy, their ryzophagia and other symptoms, except for tooth damage, resolved. The study suggested that ryzophagia in European and derivative countries was more likely to occur in non-Europeans, and it reviewed other cases associated with iron deficiency, pregnancy, and cultural factors.
47 citations
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October 2010 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Iron deficiency common in women, not always linked to hair loss; more research needed.
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August 2003 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Iron deficiency might contribute to hair loss in women.
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January 2014 in “Clinical hemorheology and microcirculation” Hereditary elliptocytosis causes elongated red blood cells and can lead to mild or no symptoms.
