We had a couple of patients in our clinics which developed ice craving. They loved to crush and chew on ice chips all the time. When they saw their physician for another reason, blood tests showed low level of hemoglobin, known as anemia.
It turned out that these patients had iron deficiency coming from blood loss from colon cancer. These iron deficiencies can lead to a craving to chew or eat ice chips. Iron deficiencies can affect the mucosa in the gut and mouth, and ice chips may relief some of the discomfort caused by iron deficiencies.
My patients diagnosed with anemia underwent colonoscopies and were found to have colon cancer, which in both cases resulted in a curative removal by surgery and successful adjuvant chemotherapy.
Usually iron deficiencies develop over a long period of time. When diagnosed it takes months to replace iron in the storage in the body. Iron is critical for red blood cell production. We usually use Slow Fe because it is better tolerated than other preparations which can cause stomach upset.
You need to know if you take iron supplements your stool may look black, similar to patients who have bleeding from their stomach. When there is bleeding in the stomach the stool is black because of its interaction with stomach acid. When bleeding is in the colon, the stool is red.
If you are abnormally craving ice chips, make sure you are checked for iron deficiency.
May 07, 2009 at 5:00 pm, j.d. said:
If the hemoglobin is around 11 – 11.5 for a male, then would it be recommended, and generally considered safe, to take iron supplements while receiving chemotherapy?
May 07, 2009 at 5:48 pm, Heinz-Josef Lenz said:
would check first the iron panel before taking it in patients wiht cancer they may be high. HJL
May 13, 2009 at 2:49 pm, sunny said:
A couple of months ago my hymoglobin was 16.2.
Doc said to stop taking iron pills which assisted with my menstrual cycle. Am I anemic?
May 13, 2009 at 4:09 pm, heinz josef lenz said:
not knowing any detail……you are certainly not anemic in fact opposite….HJL
May 13, 2009 at 9:05 pm, Steve P said:
My mother (stg II/III rectal cancer) has a HGB of 9.9 but she still got the next round yesterday. The doc says HGB isn’t a criteria for withholding chemo but instead a transfusion is given if it goes under 8. Maybe it won’t go that low and she can get by her last two cycles of FOLFOX. But assuming otherwise and since iron tablets take time to work, would an iron panel be advisable, and if it shows deficiency, can infed infusion be an alternative to a blood transfusion? And should she do this now rather than wait 2 weeks for the next results?
May 14, 2009 at 7:01 pm, heinz josef lenz said:
he is correct she can get the chemotherapy. you may want to check if she is iron deficient which is common for colon cancer because of the gi bleed associated with colon cacner but sometimes it is sthe chemo suppressing the red blood cell production. we also only transfuse when Hb under 9
May 23, 2009 at 8:13 pm, denise said:
After two ferritin level checks at six weeks apart, and level is 18.4, my doctor is concerned about a possible internal bleed and is recommending occult blood test. What is the normal range for ferritin level?
May 31, 2009 at 4:06 pm, susan said:
Heinz-Josef Lenz,
With regards to your article titled ICE CRAVING: A SIGN OF ANEMIA… I think that the ice craving is more than a symptom of anemia. I had an incredible ice craving, crushing ice to the point where my teeth were splitting, and couldn’t stop. Some days I would crush about 8 glasses full of ice cubes. Then when I was cold, I would turn the heat up or sit in a hot bathtub. Then I would return again to the ice crushing. It was a repeating cycle. It turned out that I had three benign tumors and just like your article, the bleeding caused a severe iron deficiency. Immediately after having the tumors removed I was still extremely iron deficient, enough to have a transfusion, having lost alot of blood during surgery. I remember waking up in recovery and seeing a cup of gingerale with crushed ice next to my bed. I couldn’t bear the ice. My ice craving was completely diminished, even though the anemia was still present. It is my conclusion that the ice was my body’s natural defense reaction to the tumors. In fact, for months after the surgery, I couldn’t crunch a single piece of ice. Then one day, a colleague noticed that I was beginning to crunch ice again. The sound of me crunching ice cubes was unpleasant to others in the office, and easy to pick up on. My colleague asked, “are you crunching ice again?” I didn’t think much of it, but sure enough, I had another small benign tumor, this time not causing anemia, and not large enough to cause significant health problems. The biopsy of the tumors showed that the cells were deceasing, and tumors were not malignant. Is it possible that the ice craving is more than just a link to the secondary anemia? Could the ice craving be the body’s reaction to tumors, cancer, etc? I really think that this is something to be researched. Some tumors like warts for example are frozen to be removed. Is the body trying to freeze the tumors?
I have another friend who has a rare disorder where benign tumors develop all over. He has mentioned to me that he craves cold and often has to stop for a snowball or Italian ice. His tumors are benign, and he hasn’t had secondary anemia. Please write back and let me know what your thoughts are on this issue. It is my thought from personal experience that if you are craving ice enough to crunch full ice cubes then you need to get an MRI to diagnose where the problem is.
May 31, 2009 at 9:01 pm, Heinz Josef Lenz said:
wow that is a long comment. it seems that iron deficiencies are particular linked to ice crushing since iron deficiency also attacks the mucosa and lead to burning of the tongue which is reliefed with ice which is one explanation not aware that any other anemia is associated with this craving HJL
June 04, 2009 at 1:01 am, shantel said:
I like chewing on ice it has to be a certain kind sometimes I get addicted to a certain kind,I do have anemia an is very worried about some of these comments that I am reading an is very scared,what should I do my doctor never told me any of these things
June 04, 2009 at 9:42 am, Heinz-Josef Lenz said:
see your doctor and let him evaluate you for the reason for your anemia which could be iron deficiency. He will know what to do. No reason to be scared. HJL
June 09, 2010 at 8:08 pm, Angela said:
2 weeks ago, I had surgery to have a polyp removed from my uterus (hysteroscopy) and a DNC. I worked at night so I eat ice to stay awake. I have found myself craving for ice like an addict or something, but it is not all the time. Does this mean I may be anemic of have colon cancer? Please advise.
November 01, 2010 at 10:59 pm, Misty said:
It has been 6 months since I started with the ice crushing cravings, I go thru 4 or 5 tall glasses of crushed ice. I really get upset if there isn’t any in the refrigerator. If I go anywhere I have to have my glass full of ice. My husband gets really irritated listining to me and my ice. I have been checked for anemia and the doctor put me on vitatmin D and C, no iron. I had a check up and she didn’t find any bleeding but I do occasionaly have blood in the stool, not all the time. Do you think I might have colon cancer. After reading all the comments I am really worried. I do notice that after I eat I have to have my ice. I would like to know what you think, so I can have the right questions to ask my doctor.
Thank you
November 02, 2010 at 5:49 am, Kate Murphy said:
I am concerned that you are seeing blood in your stool. A one time test for blood in the stool, (fecal occult blood test or FOBT) doesn’t always find bleeding because polyps and cancers don’t bleed all the time.
Ifmyou are seeing blood, you really need a colonoscopy to figure out why.
The ice craving may be related to anemia, but even if your doctor has ruled that out, you still should talk to a gastroenterologist about a colonoscopy.
Therer are reasons besides cancer for seeing blood in the stool, so don’t panic. But don’t put off the colonoscopy.
August 12, 2011 at 8:35 pm, Ice Cruncher said:
I agree with some of the observations listed above. I don’t think the ice crunching is necessarily due to anemia. I crave ice, especially certain kinds with lots of air in them, yet I have not had a blood test show anemia. The idea that a primary cause could be cancer concerns me. I used to crave ice during pregnancy, but after my last baby, I craved it all the time, increasingly. Now you’ve got me wondering….
October 06, 2011 at 12:04 pm, Jennifer D. said:
I crave ica all the time. I eat at least 6 glasses of ice a day. I am not anemic nor do I have any type of blood in my stool. I do have very irregular minstrel cycles.I do eat more ice during my cycle. Could it be a sign of female problems?
October 07, 2011 at 10:59 pm, Kate Murphy said:
We can’t provide medical information, but craving ice could be a symptom of illness.
You need to talk to your doctor about this and be tested again for anemia. Your need for ice could also be a sign of unusual thirst so ask for testing for illnesses related to thirst.
Talking to your gynecologist about your irregular menstrual cycles and setting up some tests that might explain that is also an important step for you.
November 17, 2011 at 2:47 pm, Ice Lover said:
I wish this information about ice crushing was common knowledge and more Doctors realized it was a symptom. I must have crushed ice for two years before I found out I had extreme anemia due to Colon Cancer. I was driving my family crazy, I have not had any desire to chew on ice since my surgery last year.
April 21, 2012 at 3:59 am, mini chruncher said:
I recently had fibroid tumors removed within the last 90 days and became aniemic now for maybe two weeks I have been craving nothing but ice cubes and reading this it makes think I might have something a lot more serious.. so worried now
April 24, 2012 at 10:27 am, Kate Murphy said:
Please discuss this with your doctor, but do realize that ice craving is not a symptom of colon cancer, but of anemia.
You may still have anemia from the fibroid tumors, particularly if they caused a lot of bleeding.
Get a red blood cell count and compare it to your counts before surgery.
Then ask your gynecologist what the next steps are for you to manage anemia, if you have it.
Also, if you are over 50 have not had a screening colonoscopy for colon cancer, schedule one. If your anemia isn’t due to your fibroids and surgery, a diagnostic colonoscopy is also important to track down anemia.
July 06, 2012 at 1:44 am, erica said:
twords the end of my last pregnancy (with twins), maybe at about 7 months i developed a very intense craving for ice. i had to have it all day, even when i left the house i would take it with me in a ziploc back, and eat like 2 or 3 glasses of it at restaurants. like someone else said, i would get upset if there was no more in the freezer, so i started buying it in the bag (that you use to fill coolers). if i got cold i would wrap up in a blanket. i thought about it all the time, and prefered to eat ice instead of a snack. i loved to eat it after i ate too. i delivered the twins at 39 weeks. they were perfectly healthy-7lbs and 6.13., no nicu or anything. i was still eating the ice after delivering for about 3 days. when i got home my mom was helping me and offered to get me a bowl of ice. i let it melt and didnt even want any. I didnt even realize it at the time, but the ice addiction just stopped. its been 8 months and i havent even thought about eating any. its weird because it felt so good to feel it crunch before, so much so that i chipped one of my teeth a little bit but still couldnt stop. it was strangely a risk worth taking. i have been anemic on and off my whole life, but wasnt during most of this pregnancy. I was at my highest ever, a 12. normally i could never get more than an 11.5 at the very most no matter how many vitamins and iron fortified cereal and steak i ate. i decided to search this because one of my kids asked me earlier today why i dont eat ice anymore, and i cant believe how many people have experienced the same thing. i really wish some kind of research could be done to explain this because its very interesting and i would really like a better explanation as to why so many people do this but no one knows why.
July 16, 2012 at 3:24 pm, MARGARET ROBBINS said:
MY DOCTOR TOLD ME MONTHS AGO THAT I WAS SLIGHTLY ANEMIC. THESE ICE CRAVINGS HAVE STARTED RECENTLY. I AM MAKING AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY DOCTOR. THANKS FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT.
July 16, 2012 at 11:23 pm, Kate Murphy said:
If you haven’t been screened for colorectal cancer by a colonoscopy or other effective method, please arrange to do so as soon as you can. While ice craving can be a sign of anemia, anemia can be a sign of colorectal cancer. It is important to check it out.
Finding colorectal cancer early makes it much more likely that it can be treated successfully. So, if you haven’t been screened, please do so.
September 16, 2012 at 8:06 am, Crave ice | Seihantai said:
Ice Craving: A Sign of Anemia | Fight Colorectal Cancer May 7, 2009; We had a couple of patients in our clinics which developed ice craving. They loved to crush and chew on ice chips all the time.
October 26, 2012 at 9:09 pm, Jean Clark said:
I was so surprised that a lot of people crave ice chips! I’ve been craving ice chips for more then 2 years. I was just diagnosed with anemia, blood in my colon.
January 19, 2013 at 10:45 pm, Tammy said:
My sister has crunched on ice for 6 months at times this drove me crazy because she kept three bottles of water in freezer at all time,she even had to take ice with her in the car,when she went to bed she kept frozen bottles next to her bed. Sadly she had a colonoscopy diagnosed with colon cancer and her hemoglobin was 7.