Eating food and drinking water are two vital functions that we cannot stop doing if we want to stay alive and in good health. But what would happen to our body if there was a prolonged famine, a natural disaster, a lack of resources, or if for other reasons we stopped eating and drinking? Discover the answers in this note.
Trends such as intermittent fasting have become popular in recent years, but a reasonable limit must be placed on these measures in order not to get sick. Although the body has certain mechanisms to help sustain the body, these cause unwanted effects on us, which if prolonged can lead to death.
Therefore, do not try to stop eating or drinking for excessive periods. Eat and drink in moderation and in a healthy way. And if you want to review what can happen, consult the opinions of experts and studies on the subject in this note.
How long can a person go without eating?
The amount of time a person can survive without eating can vary depending on several factors, including body condition and age. The fifth edition of the book Biochemistry, suggests that a person weighs about 70 kg. it has enough stored calories to survive between one and three months. Here’s what other studies say:
- According to an Archiv fur Kriminologie article, the body can survive between 8 and 21 days without food and water, and up to two months if there is sufficient water intake.
- Another study, published in the British Medical Journal, recounts cases of hunger strikes that lasted between 21 and 40 days due to the life-threatening symptoms suffered by the participants.
- The journal Nutrition published research according to which men with a body mass index (BMI) below 13 and women with one below 11 resist periods of starvation less.
In any case, there is no exact figure for how many days humans can survive without food because it is considered unethical to study starvation in human subjects.
What happens to my body if I stop eating?
Under normal circumstances, the body breaks down food eaten into glucose, which gives us energy. After 8 to 12 hours without eating, glucose reserves run out and the body turns to glycogen from the liver and muscles, according to the Healthline medical site.
If this last resource is also depleted, amino acids are used for energy. This affects the muscles and causes a starvation period of about three days.
To prevent muscle loss, the body begins to use fat stores to create ketones for energy, in a process known as ketosis. If these stored fats are also depleted, a return to muscle breakdown leads to adverse symptoms and ultimately death.
Scheme of fuel metabolism in the body during starvation. The body must turn to other sources of energy when there is no food to break down into glucose.
You Should Also Read This: Sedentary lifestyle: an unhealthy lifestyle
How long can a person go without drinking water?
Under regular conditions, the human body can survive between three and five days without drinking water, with a somewhat longer interval between two and seven days, according to the Medico Plus portal.
Likewise, we must take into account that not drinking water under certain extreme conditions can cause death more quickly. For example, if a child is locked in a car on a hot summer day, he will die of dehydration in a matter of hours.
What happens to my body if I stop drinking?
When you deprive your body of water, your water balance is disrupted, that is, you gain less than what you lose through urine, exhalations, sweat, and defecation. This is known as dehydration. Once the body loses 2% of body weight in fluids, there is thirst and the body employs emergency mechanisms such as releasing antidiuretic hormone.
The action of this hormone, stimulated by the hypothalamus, increases the accumulation of water in the blood and reduces that available for urine synthesis. Simultaneously, the body inhibits sweating, which increases body temperature and thickens the blood; the latter forces an increase in heart rate.
As 4% of body weight is lost in fluids, blood pressure drops and fainting occurs. Meanwhile, the cells contract from the loss of water, and there is extreme tiredness, difficulty thinking, and headache.
When 7% of body weight is lost in water, multi-organ failure begins, first in the kidneys, which will cause the accumulation of toxins in the blood. The tissues of various vital organs begin to die and you are at risk of dying.
What happens if I stop eating and just drink water?
Consuming a healthy amount of water can help you survive starvation for weeks and even months, Healthline explains. The body, they indicate, has more reserves to supply food than water. A study of hunger strikes argues that people need to consume at least 1.5 liters of water a day to survive starvation for longer.
