Unusual eating and drinking addictions that are dangerous

Addictions are persistent, obsessive behaviors and sufferers will feel anxious if they can’t do them, regardless of any negative consequences. But while most people imagine addictions to be related to drugs or alcohol did you know there are other more unusual ones involving food and drink that can be equally as damaging?


FRENCH FRIES
Thirty-something American woman Amber Scott has only eaten French fries since she was a child. She suffers from Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) that affects her ability to eat a balanced diet.
Harm rating: This mental illness can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies.




BANANAS
Diet guru Freelee the Banana Girl eats a largely raw diet that’s fruit and veg based; it’s not unusual for the Australian to eat between 30-50 bananas a day.
Harm rating: Bananas are rich in potassium, which is essential to health but too much can put a strain on the kidneys.




MILK
A woman called Sandra, from Stockport in the UK, is addicted to milk. She’s drunk about 10 pints (nearly 6 liters) a day for decades and will do a midnight shop if she’s running low.
Harm rating: Too much of any one food can lead to a nutritional deficiency.




CARROTS
It’s possible to develop a craving for carrots and numerous examples have been reported. Beta-carotene – an antioxidant that is converted in the body into vitamin A – is probably what people are drawn to.
Harm rating: Eating more than two pounds of carrots a day can turn the skin, nails and organs yellow, though this is reversible.





GLASS
Ohio man Josh, who featured on My Strange Addiction, a series on American channel TLC, gets a “warm feeling” from eating glass, especially wine glasses and light bulbs, and admits he enjoys the attention he receives from his unusual habit.
Harm rating: Josh claims not to have suffered but it’s clearly dangerous.




CHEESE
Countless people claim cheese is their weakness and there is some truth in its habit-forming quality. Cheese contains casein, which releases casomorphins into the body – peptides that trigger the brain’s opioid receptors, which are responsible for addiction.
Harm rating: Cheese is high in saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol and contribute towards obesity.





TOFU
A Chinese man called He Dong had more than 400 kidney stones removed as a result of consuming large amounts of tofu.
Harm rating: Tofu, especially gypsum tofu, is a soy product high in calcium, too much of which can cause kidney stones.




PIZZA
In 2015, researchers at the University of Michigan conducted the Yale Food Addiction Scale survey and found pizza to be the most irresistible food because of its seductive combination of fat, cheese, carbohydrates and sugar (in the tomato sauce).
Harm rating: Eaten daily, high-fat, high-calorie processed food can lead to obesity and other health problems.





PAPER
Eating paper, and softer (some would say more palatable) toilet paper is called xylophagia (wood eating) and is another form of pica, which is a craving for non-food items.
Harm rating: A little won’t do you any harm but eaten regularly paper contains chemicals or coatings that can stop the gut from absorbing vital nutrients.




WATER
In the US, the recommended daily amount of liquid is 2.2-3 liters (3-5 pints) but some ‘aquaholics’ get addicted to it, such as Sasha Kennedy who drinks 25 liters a day – as yet with no ill effects.
Harm rating: Although uncommon this is recognized as a disorder called psychogenic polydipsia. It can lead to health problems and even death.




CARBONATED WATER
Carbonated, sparkling or fizzy water is hugely popular – in the US alone $1.5 billion is spent on it – but it’s been connected to a number of health concerns.
Harm rating: The jury’s still out but the risk remains low – sparkling water is mildly acidic but not enough to have a marked effect on tooth enamel; it was thought to leach calcium from bones but that's more likely to be the phosphoric acid in some sodas. It can, however, irritate IBS.




TEA
A mother from Michigan, USA, drank so much tea that she developed skeletal fluorosis, a rare bone disease caused by consuming too much fluoride. Before she stopped her 17-year habit, the woman was getting through more than 100 tea bags a day.
Harm rating: It takes a lot of tea to put a person at risk of bone disease but it’s still a possibility.




CHOCOLATE
Not all health professionals believe chocolate addiction exists but it’s very real for British mum Rachel Evans who was eating eight family-sized bags of chocolate a day, each weighing 9.8 ounces, before she sought help.
Harm rating: Too much chocolate can cause weight gain, tooth decay and disrupt blood sugar levels




CIGARETTE ASH
In 2011, TV channel TLC’s first season of My Strange Addiction filmed Bianca, who ate pottery before moving onto ashes because she liked the way they dissolved on her tongue. Bianca probably has pica, a condition that causes non-food cravings.
Harm rating: Eating ashes could cause a build-up of toxins in the body, which can be dangerous.




COCA-COLA/DIET COKE
In 2010, Natasha Harris, a 30 year-old New Zealand woman, went into cardiac arrest and died after drinking 10 liters of Coke a day. Other incidences of an addiction to soda or diet soda have been reported.
Harm rating: The high levels of sugar and caffeine in Coke can have detrimental effects on the body and cause withdrawal symptoms.




SUGAR
One of the more common food cravings – but one many erroneously believe they are in control of. Sugar causes the feel-good chemical dopamine to be released in the brain and over time more is needed to get the same ‘high’.
Harm rating: It’s now thought that excess sugar intake is a serious problem – it's one of the leading causes of obesity and diabetes in the world.




POTATO CHIPS (CRISPS)
An English teenager addicted to salted potato chips was eating 40 bags a week, and consuming double the recommended amount of salt, until hypnotherapy cured him.
Harm rating: Being addicted to one food is known as Selective Eating Disorder, and related to a previous trauma with food. Counseling is required to help sufferers eat a healthy diet.




DRINKING BLOOD
TLC’s TV show My Strange Addiction told the gory stories of Julia Caples, from Pennsylvania, and Michelle from California, who confessed to regularly drinking human blood for years – taken from willing donors.
Harm rating: Frequently drinking blood may result in an iron overdose, which can be fatal.





EATING BRICKS
Laborer Pakkirappa Hunagundi from Karnataka, India, has been eating debris such as bricks, rocks, gravel and mud since he was 10 years old. He claims he’s suffered no ill effects, despite eating up to 3 kilos a day.
Harm rating: Internal injuries, tooth damage and toxicity are just some of the potential outcomes.




EATING DIRT
Nibbling on dirt or mud is a classic sign of pica, a disorder where people crave non-foods. Eating dirt is also known as geophagia, and can be caused by a nutritional deficiency or by mental illness.
Harm rating: Soil can contain bacteria, parasites and heavy metals, all of which can increase your risk of illness.





EATING ICE
Another form of pica, sucking on or chewing ice is known as pagophagia. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 2% of men over 18 and 16% of women between 16-19 do it.
Harm rating: Aside from running the risk of cracking a tooth, ice chewing can be a sign of anemia, stress or OCD.





IRN-BRU
In 2012, it was reported that a Scottish dad drank eight liters of orange soda drink Irn-Bru every day for 20 years. Andrew McSherry developed heart disease as a result of his $90-a-week habit.
Harm rating: One serving (330ml) of Irn-Bru contains 9 grams of sugar – the RDA for men. Too much sugar is attributed to obesity and ill health.




JUICING
Regarded as a healthy lifestyle choice, even juicing has come under criticism in recent years. In 2014, the media claimed that actress Emma Roberts was a juice addict.
Harm rating: Constant juice fasting can cause rapid weight loss and even malnutrition. Long-term effects include heart damage.




JUNK FOOD
Although it should only be eaten occasionally, the high levels of salt, fat and sugar in junk and processed food can trigger a cycle of craving. In the UK, 40,000 deaths are attributed to eating junk food every year.
Harm rating: Rocketing levels of diabetes and obesity are linked to junk food consumption.




SAUSAGES
Yes, sausages. David Harding, an accountant from London, was eating up to 13 sausages every day and has spent more than $3,000 trying to kick the habit.
Harm rating: Not getting a balanced diet can cause health problems. Sausages are high in fat and salt, which contribute to obesity and high blood pressure.




VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamins are good for you, right? Not always. Half of all Americans take supplements but self-administering can cause adverse effects and be damaging to our health.
Harm rating: Between 2007-2012, the FDA reported 115 deaths and more than 2000 hospitalizations from dietary supplements, vitamins and herbs. Only take vitamins if you have a proper deficiency.

From: http://www.msn.com/