Study Shows Dirt Is Good For Health  Most people took a bite of
some mud as children. Now, scientists are saying that it may be
healthy for you.  According to the June issue of the Quarterly
Review of Biology, the human geophagy—the eating of the
Earth—protects the stomach and other digestive organs from
toxins, parasites, and pathogens.  Eating Dirt  Scientists from
Cornell University say that eating dirt is directly related to
hunger pains. Research has found that people, in locations where
there are common food shortages, eat dirt to feel full although
it does not have direct nutritional value to humans.  There is
also some research that supports a different hypothesis.
Research has found that tribal people in countries in Southeast
Asia and Africa consume dirt solely for its nutritional value.
Dirt provides humans with zinc, iron, and calcium among other
nutrients. These nutrients are not highly common in foods that
are accessible in the poverty-stricken global communities.
People also eat the dirt to pr