Most of us think that we cannot live without food and water intake for a day but it is possible to live many days without having any of these things. However, how long can you live without food1? Many factors tell us how long we can live without food.
Survival Depends on The Following Factors
- Person’s age
- Sex
- Body size
- Fitness
- General Health
- Activity level
- Amount of liquid consumed
How Long Can a Person Survive Without Food?
Food intake is necessary for a person to maintain a proper body mass index and a hunger strike may burn fewer calories. Still, it can also be quite fatal for people already suffering from some diseases and can lead to organ failure.
For an average-aged person, it is possible to live weeks without food but starvation affects a lot and our bodies start to utilize energy reserves from our body tissues and our health conditions worsen. Therefore, healthcare professional advises us to eat properly for the right functioning of our bodies.
How long can you live without food? The human body begins to use the fat reserves inside it and starts to lose weight. Significant weight loss directly affects health consequences that may lead to death if isn’t treated properly and with seriousness.
The body’s ability to function decreases with starvation and the survival time depends on activities and liquid intake during this time with the person’s age and sex. An average person may live up to two months without drinking water and eating food.
Starvation Affects in The Human Body
It is normal to feel hungry if we stop eating, and without food or water, our organ systems will give up slowly and it may lead to organ failure and then ultimately death. Let’s see how long you can live without food and how the organs get affected.
Gastrointestinal System
Food intake directly affects our gastrointestinal system and starvation leads to many disorders such as:
1) Stomach pain
2) Vomiting
3) Nausea
4) Bloating
5) Blood sugar fluctuations
6) Cholesterol level fluctuations
7) Bacterial infections
8) Ulcers
9) Acidity
10) Constipation
11) Pancreatitis
Without proper food intake, our intestinal muscles become weak, and therefore, our metabolism doesn’t take place in the correct order and these problems become quite common. Inflammations occur in our pancreas and lead to pancreatitis which can be fatal for hunger strikers.
Cardiovascular System
Our body breakdown glucose to give us energy for our daily work and survival and without food, the human body starts to break down self-tissues and uses it as survival fuel. However, the heart tissues aren’t spared from this situation and this may lead to heart failure.
Our heart becomes weak and isn’t capable to pump blood properly and supply it to the other organs for the right functioning of our human bodies. Blood pressure and pulse rate drop significantly and bodies tend to give up quite easily to the inevitable death.
Endocrine System
Human starvation depletes the fat stores in the body, and it may seem to wait for a prolonged period for the inevitable to occur. Fat and cholesterol are needed to produce certain hormones by the endocrine system like testosterone, estrogen, and thyroid hormones.
Without the proper secretion of these hormones, many unwanted problems occur in our bodies and lead to an uncomfortable life such as:
1) Weak bones
2) Drop in the metabolic rate
3) Menstrual cycle may become irregular or stop
4) Hypothermia
5) Brittle hair
6) Dry skin
7) Hair loss
8) Body grows a layer of hair called lanugo
Weeks without food or water are very difficult to survive, and our organs may fail easily without the right nutrients. Relevant experience may sometimes lead to death.
Central Nervous System
Our brain functions to keep us stable and work in pace with our daily routine starvation can easily deprive it of the right nutrients and energy it needs to function well and keep our nervous system intact.
We may lack concentration in our daily work and get deprived of proper sleep and may suffer from depression with the growing work burdens and lonely thoughts. We may also suffer from stubborn headaches and become unconscious during regular activity.
Food And Weight Loss
Nowadays, most of us want to shed some extra pounds and start to starve and wait for the outcome, but it can harm our bodies more than we can think and may be fatal as our bodies won’t get proper nutrients to work.
You may experience significant weight loss, and an obese person will become happy with the results unaware of the internal damages caused by malnutrition. Our body breaks down muscle tissue for its functioning, and the stored fat gets depleted with time, and we start losing energy for regular activities.
We need body fat and fatty acids to work properly daily; a lack of them may lead to less energy production. Our kidney function becomes abnormal and our metabolism rate is directly affected within a few days.
Amino acids are needed for the organ systems to work properly as per peer-reviewed studies. As we proceed days without food and water we may develop an eating disorder, and our vital processes may come to a stop and lead to death under such serious situations.
Water Intake and Starvation
Our body starts to produce energy from its tissues as fuel to survive, and without food, only water can prolong our survival as we need more fluid than solid food to live long.
Without proper water intake, our body will face dehydration and our kidneys may stop functioning altogether this will directly affect our metabolism rate and we will suffer from stomach problems such as ulcers, acidity, internal inflammations, and pain.
Surviving without food isn’t easy and water can prolong the side effects for a few days. Drinking adequate water daily during starvation prolongs serious health conditions and death for an extended period.
Without hydration and electrolyte imbalance our body will start shedding off weight one to two kilograms per day beginning with the first five days, however, if the starvation continues the rate of shedding weight will decrease to the estimated amount of 0.3 kilograms per day.
Adding half tablespoon of salt to the glass of water has good effects and keeps us alive for more days, but the body keeps on fighting for survival each hour.
How Long Can You Survive Without Water
Without food, it is possible to live a few weeks, but without water, we may not last some hours. Our body composition is the most vital point whenever we discuss the period of living without water.
Elders and older people suffering from diseases may not survive for even a few hours without water as fluid intake helps our body to repair our cells and keep us fit and healthy. Our organ systems need a proper supply of water to function properly and water nourishes and hydrates them with proper electrolytes that aren’t present in other foods.
Moderate Hydration May Lead to
- Sunken eyes
- Less urination
- Dry mouth and tongue
- Feeling thirsty
- Irritability and restlessness
Severe Hydration May Lead To
- A weak or absent pulse
- Unconsciousness
- Lethargy
- Very dry mouth and tongue
- Urination stops
- Low blood pressure
- Stomach ache
Most of us are aware of the importance of water in our life, and our body comprises most of it. Therefore, it is necessary to consume an adequate amount daily otherwise, the inevitable can’t be prolonged. Feeling nauseous and having headaches may be other problems related to less hydration.
Ketosis
During starvation our bodies start producing energy by using the fat stored inside them leaving the carbs and this process is known as ketosis. In the absence of glucose, our brain functions are handled by the ketone production that supplies our brains with the required energy.
Our brain gets 20 percent of its energy from ketone bodies during the beginning three days and with an extended period of starvation, the percentage grows to 60. This method is followed in the keto diet but the people following this diet don’t starve themselves instead they consume foods high in calories.
Warnings
Sometimes to lose weight we start starving ourselves which impacts our body and its functioning processes vital for living. Dieting doesn’t mean stopping eating food altogether. It means following a proper nutritious food chart daily and exercising to burn extra calories.
Skipping food 2altogether leads to malnutrition and can be the cause of many deadly diseases. During starvation, our body’s metabolism rate decreases and that doesn’t help in burning calories. Therefore, consult a doctor for a proper guide regarding diet and exercise.
Final Note
Don’t neglect your body’s nutrition quotient 3for losing weight, as it may lead to hazardous impacts, and you may die due to starvation. Moreover, starving your body isn’t the right way to lose fat or burn calories instead a proper diet ensures healthy living.
Food and water are necessities of every person, and we cannot survive without food for a prolonged period. Therefore, avoid hunger strikes and stay healthy and fit.
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Suggested reads:
How Long is a Century Insights into 100 Years
- Audsley, Eric, et al. “How low can we go? An assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from the UK food system and the scope reduction by 2050. Report for the WWF and Food Climate Research Network.” (2010). ↩︎
- Zeballos, Eliana, and Jessica E. Todd. “The effects of skipping a meal on daily energy intake and diet quality.” Public health nutrition 23.18 (2020): 3346-3355. ↩︎
- Westerterp, K. R. “Food quotient, respiratory quotient, and energy balance.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 57.5 (1993): 759S-765S. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Namrata