By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
A study by a senior lecturer at York St John University in the United Kingdom and his team has found that pregnant women who consumed clay had babies with smaller head circumferences on ultrasound scans compared with those who did not.
According to Dr. Albert Dayor Piersson, the research focused on the practice of consuming “ayilo,” a type of clay eaten by some pregnant women.
Speaking on the GTV’s Breakfast Show, Dr. Piersson said researchers compared ultrasound measurements of fetal head circumference between women who reported consuming clay during pregnancy and those who did not.
The study observed a reduction in head circumference among fetuses of women who consumed clay. Head circumference is a standard indicator used in prenatal care to monitor fetal brain and skull development.
Dr. Piersson said the difference was statistically significant compared with the control group of women who did not consume clay.
He also warned that “ayilo” contains toxic lead, which he said could harm child development when consumed during pregnancy.
“‘Ayilo’ contains toxic lead which is harmful to the growth of children when consumed during pregnancy,” Dr. Piersson said.
Dr. Piersson said his research team would begin conducting brain MRI scans on children born to women who participated in the study.
The scans are intended to measure brain development at the structural stage and compare outcomes between children whose mothers consumed clay during pregnancy and those who did not.
“We will start a brain MRI for the children to measure their brain development in their structural stage to compare,” he said.
The aim is to assess whether the reduction in head circumference observed in utero corresponds to measurable differences in brain structure after birth.
He advised pregnant women to avoid consuming non-food substances and to seek prenatal care for nutritional guidance.
Clay consumption during pregnancy is practiced in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, often for cultural reasons or to manage nausea, but medical authorities caution against it due to potential health risks.
