Thaindian News

New York, June 7 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Dirt is associated with filth so people are sometimes disgusted when they realize that some people out of instinct eat dirt. It might not be such a good idea to judge people who eat dirt because a new study has revealed that the urge to eat dirt may be out of the control of the individual and may in fact have health benefits!

Scientists refer to the tendency to eat dirt as geogaphy. The researchers examined 482 cases of geogaphy and realized that the victims didn’t eat dirt because they were hungry or their bodies wanted something from the dirt. The researchers also studied 330 of such cases among animals that practiced the act. Contrary to previous studies, the researchers found that eating dirt may help to clear out some germs in the gut.

That means eating dirt may actually have health benefits. The latest study which was published in the journal The Quarterly Review of Biology disputed some claims made by previous studies which suggested that people who ate dirt did so because they were hungry or lacked some minerals.

The practice is common in the tropical regions of the world and pregnant women are among those who frequently practice the act.

The research was carried out by a group of researchers led by Sera Young of the Cornell University.