We’ve probably all experienced the feeling of hunger - you feel dizzy, you get stomach
cramps and you have zero energy.
But these symptoms are fleeting and usually disappear once we eat our next meal.
But what if you had nothing to eat, what happens to your body when it’s starving?
Hey there, Lissette here for DNews.
Starvation occurs when your body is consuming fewer calories than those required to sustain
life.
It is most commonly the result of famine, extreme dieting, complete fasting for a cause,
or disease.
Roughly one out of every nine people do not have enough to eat, but despite this widespread
problem, starvation is not well understood.
Not because it is not important, obviously, but because it's difficult to systematically
study inanition or the impact of starvation on the body.
The lack of experimental data on the subject is largely due to the fact that it is unethical
to conduct a study that requires participants to go without food.
And that its effects depend on many factors - such as the weight of the person before
they began to starve, their genetic makeup, their health and whether they are drinking
water.
But what we do know comes from controversial studies like Minnesota University’s starvation
experiment from the 1940s.
During World War II, famine became a pressing issue for many countries around the world.
At the time, scientists were eager to understand what happened to the human body in the process
of starvation - partly because they wanted to understand how to help patients recover
from it.
It is not as simple as allowing someone to eat unlimited amounts of food - this can actually
make recovering patients sick because it’s difficult for the body’s systems to rapidly
adjust to eating food again and because hungry people tend to overeat to the point of vomiting.
Not good.
So the scientists at Minnesota University recruited volunteers by offering military
men who had been drafted, the opportunity to participate in their study in lieu of military
service.
The 36 men who were finally selected were all healthy conscientious objectors to the
war.
They were required to walk 35 kilometers a week (22miles) throughout the entire study.
During the first 12 week control period, the men’s diets were regulated so that they
would reach an ideal healthy weight before the semi-starvation phase - the second period
in the study.
In this semi-starvation period of 24 weeks, the participants caloric intake was cut in
about half - from 3,000 to about 1500 calories.
To get them as close to their goal of a 25% total weight reduction, the researchers adjusted
the participants food portions.
The researchers found, that in this semi-starvation phase, participants went through a number
of changes.
Due to extreme weight loss, the men displayed physical symptoms like protruding ribs, sullen
eyes, and gaunt cheeks, as well as swollen extremities likely from a lack of blood protein
production.
Physiologically, their metabolic rates decreased - meaning that their bodies reduced the number
of calories they expended while resting.
Their heart rates dropped, temperature decreased, libido declined, and breathing quieted.
It was like their bodies were slowing down to conserve as much energy as possible.
Psychologically, the men became preoccupied with food - talking, writing, and even dreaming
about it.
They reported depressive symptoms, irritability, and a lack of interest in everyday activities.
Interestingly, while the men reported cognitive deficits, the tests the researchers administered
did not confirm this.
More recent studies on nutrient deficiencies, however, have found that a lack of adequate
nutrition can negatively impact cognitive function.
Although the Minnesota study is over seventy years old, this research is still the most
comprehensive look at how the body tries to cope with starvation.
Given that 795 million people suffer from undernourishment around the world, it’s
evident that more research is needed.
But the scientific dilemma is that starving your research volunteers is highly unethical.
Today, scientists must rely on gathering data from autopsy and case studies - from sources
like victims of war who died of starvation.
Through this new data, we have learned that starvation affects children more intensely.
It can permanently affect development - stunting their growth and they are also more vulnerable
to dying - at about 32 days of complete starvation compared to 70 days for adults.
For children and adults alike, autopsy studies have shown that when death occurs from starvation,
the body has completely used up its fat reserves and about 25-50% of other organs and tissues.
This helps explain why the body can suffer permanent organ damage when undernourished.
But, this isn’t a thing of the past.
In fact North Korea, has recently announced to its citizens that they should prepare for
famine.
To learn more, check my other episode on whether North Korea is starving its citizens.
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Thanks for watching.