Many of TikTok fashion They are incomprehensible, but many others are dangerous. Really dangerous. This is the case cruncherspeople who upload videos showing how they eat dirt in all its versions. Sand, pebbles of different textures and colors… Even chalk!
They allegedly do this for their own benefit, since the soil contains microorganisms that can be beneficial gut microbiota. Okay, we can buy it. But this does not even remotely compensate for the numerous risks it entails. Moreover, it is very alarming that there are diet advocates who admit to getting pregnant, or even promote this diet to their young children.
This may seem like a TikTok fad. Something new. But this is actually a pretty old habit. In fact, in 17th century Spain a fashion called bucarophagywhich consisted of there are clay pots cause anemia, and with it that pale skin that they so desired at that time. Indeed, anemia is one of the symptoms of this habit. But he’s not the only one. There could be even worse consequences.
The Dangerous Habit of TikTok Crunchers
Stones may contain microorganisms beneficial to the microbiota. But there are also very dangerous ones. For example, in response to a tweet on this topic, a pharmacist and food safety expert Gemma del Caño He said that during his internship, when he was going to university, they analyzed soil samples and found microorganisms compatible with anthrax. This is what bacteria are called Anthrax bacillusinfection of which can cause a fatal disease. And this is just one example of all the pathogens that can exist on Earth.
On the other hand, as confirmed in the 17th century, it can produce anemia. And when you eat dirt, nutrient absorption is impaired necessary, such as iron. This leads to both malnutrition and anemia. The absorption of some of them also suffers. drugstherefore, if the person in question is undergoing treatment, the consequences may be even more severe.
Finally, one of the most dangerous effects that TikTok crunchers may encounter is intestinal obstructionin some cases potentially fatal.
Pick’s case
In fact, both the bucarophagy of the 17th century and the cruncher phenomenon are examples of the peak. These are eating disorders characterized by the deliberate use of harmful substances such as dirt, glass or plaster on the walls.
A specific case of crunchers may be the pike known as geophagy. Many cases have been reported throughout history for a variety of reasons. What’s interesting is that sometimes the desire to eat dirt is caused by a specific nutritional deficiency, such as iron deficiency itself. It has been observed that some people with anemia and low iron levels stop eating dirt when this problem is resolved. nutritional deficiency. Somehow, because there are rocks that are very rich in iron, the body asks for it. But this iron is poorly absorbed and can interfere with the absorption of iron from food.
There are also cases of peak nervous originin which people eat these types of substances to try to reduce anxiety. In these cases, it is very necessary to undergo psychological therapy.
Destroyers of Las Meninas
There was no TikTok in the 17th century, but there was crunchers. Many women consumed clay pots to make their skin pale. Although this is not the only purpose for which they did this. Another example can be seen in Velazquez’s famous Meninas.

If you look closely, one of the maids is holding out a small clay pot Infanta Margherita. It is known that she had a very early puberty. In fact, in the picture she looks like an older girl, but only I was 5 years old. In these cases, bucarophagy was also used, since eating dirt could stop menstruation. The consequences were much more serious, but they were not known, so many girls were thrown mud at them. Perhaps, given what is seen in the picture, they did the same with the infanta.
Crunchers believe they started a trend, but their habit is as old as it is dangerous. We didn’t think we should say this, but come on: seriously, don’t eat dirt.
Source: Hiper Textual
