Well, too much of anything can be harmful. However, in this case the ice-eating itself is an indication that all is not well with your body. A craving for anything that is not fit for eating is termed as 'pica' and the craving specifically for ice is termed as 'Pagophagia'. A study found out that from among 55 patients of iron-deficiency anemia, thirty had pica and the rest of 28 had pagophagia. You should first get your blood cp done in order to find out if you may be having an anemia. Severe anemia can be caused by lack of proper diet but in some cases it may indicate internal bleeding of some sort. In some cases it has also indicated bleeding ulcers in the intestine or even tumours. So it's very important for anyone who has abnormally high cravings for ice to get themselves tested for anemia as well as the possible causes behind the anemia.
You could die from eating too much ice in a couple of ways:
1) You eat a lot of ice and the ice melts into liquid water, which is absorbed by your system and causes a fatal electrolyte imbalance.
2) You eat a lot of ice, which lowers your internal body temperature so much that your organs begin to fail and you die of exposure.
3) You eat a lot of ice, which packs into your stomach and freezes your stomach lining, destroying the tissues. Your stomach can no longer function properly and you die of infection as food rots in your stomach.
There are probably more, but those are the ones that spring to mind.
By the way, you would have to eat a LOT of ice very quickly for the last two to happen.
No, ice is frozen water..so it is nothing but good for your body. However, it can harm your teeth, as it could wear away the enamel over time. It has been recommended to 1. Either take iron tablets to stop the cravings or 2. Buy an ice crusher to save your teeth some.
I eat a lot of ice, if I say a lot, I mean a lot. I leave a spoon in the top freezer compartment of my fridge for it to make more ice more quickly. I do not eat cubes, just the fine ice on the sides of the freezer. This has been going on for very, very long and lately I feel so tired, I do not have the strength for anything. I suffer from headaches and stomach pains quite often, feeling bloated etc. Can this be because of an iron deficiency and the stomach pains also because of the ice? Is it true that the ice from the sides of the freezer contains stuff that's not good for you?
It depends. On how much ice is being eaten. People have died from drinking quarts of water in one sitting. Ice is just frozen water. So I'm guessing the equivalent of a few quarts of water in ice is okay in one sitting.
I love ice I eat probably a 5 pound bag of store bought ice on a normal day... I've noticed ice can harm your teeth get your iron levels low and even cause your organs to shut down but the ice on the side of your freezer is highly dangerous! It can real harm you please don't eat it! Go to webmd.com for more info
