Over a three year period Rajpal Singh, 34, had swallowed 140 coins, 150 nails and a handful of nuts, bolts and batteries.
He had also gulped down screws, nails and magnets.
When doctors carried out an endoscopy – inserting a long, thin, tube with a camera attached to the end – it revealed the hundreds of foreign objects in his stomach.
Mr Singh, a farmer from Bathinda in India's western state of Punjab, said his bizarre habit began after he fell into a depression, and eating metal objects brought him comfort.
He said: 'I used to gulp down coins and metals with fruit juice or milk.
'Due to family problems I had slipped into depression and got hooked onto this weird habit.
'Doctors have told me those sharp objects would have punctured my intestine and I would have eventually died.
'I feel much more relaxed now. I am never going to do this again.'
Mr Singh claims he didn't realise his stomach pain was due to his habit of eating metal objects.
