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How Many Days Can You Go Without Food

We have all faced hunger at some certain time in our lives, maybe even extreme hunger. Anytime you are hungry, your stomach growls letting you know that it is time to eat. Your body does not let you get on with anything until you feed it. It is a normal occurrence that happens to all humans as we all need food to live. Laziness to cook does not justify your not eating; popping some leftovers in the microwave or boiling that instant noodle just about does it. Whatever the case, eating instantly cools down your angry stomach and then you can get on with whatever you were doing. However what if you had to endure hunger for a longer period? What would it be like to endure extreme starvation? How long would your body go without eating? Some people choose to completely go without food to lose weight. This is not a smart idea as it could be detrimental to your health. It could even result in gaining more weight! However, if you have to go on this path, walk the journey with your physician.

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Averagely, the human body cannot last more than 3 days without water. Water is indeed life! However, here we shall explore solely going without food. For obvious reasons, scientific research on the topic of starvation is minimal. Since scientists cannot study on starvation in the physical lab, they rely on humans facing starvation in the real world. Persons go without food for various reasons such as lack of food in general, religious, and political reasons, and even to lose some extra weight. For those who love food, the idea to go without food is inconceivable. After all, we eat to live. All these people who fast as a choice often break the fast after a few days or incorporate various liquids in their fast. Whether by choice or not, going without food cannot last long. Your body needs nourishment to keep going. Eating at least three meals in a day is crucial.  Food keeps you alive, more so healthy food keeps you alive longer.

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Through some experiences of certain individuals that faced starvation and overcame it, maybe we can rule out how long we can stay without food. For example, the Christians believe that Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert as a demonstration of faith in God and to draw strength in God. They say once the food is out of the equation then the mind gets stronger as you attain self-control. Jesus faced temptation from the devil himself three times during this time and overcame every test. He came out of the fast rejuvenated and more committed to his mission to save Christians than ever.

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Another individual is the renowned Mahatma Gandhi who inspired many civil rights and freedom movements in his time. He is best known for preaching the philosophy of non-violence which has become even more relevant today. His commitment to non-violence and satyagraha (peaceful resistance) gave hope to marginalized sections of India. He would use hunger strikes as a tool to promote non-violence during India’s independence movement and during his lifetime, he took on several fasts that lasted at various intervals.  So how did he do it? His first and second fasts lasted 6 days and 14 days consecutively. His third fast only took 3 days before the Ahmedabad mill owners rushed to negotiations to seal the settlement with striking workers that Gandhi had led. These continued fast laid a foundation for his longest fast which lasted 21 days! By now he had mastered the art of self-control and restraint from eating. No one can deny the fact that he is a guru when it comes to fasts and hunger strikes. He continues to serve as an inspiration to people trying to fast but it does require a great amount of willpower as the temptation to eat can take over you. When an Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972, cannibalism helped some survive two months in harsh conditions.

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Starvation is brutal. Severe deficiency in calories and extreme conditions of malnutrition can wipe off any humanity in you as survival instincts take over. It can drive you insane as at this point eating stops being a choice and becomes a must! People who have faced extreme starvation have been forced to regress to just about anything that makes us human to relieve their hunger. In one scenario where a team of rugby players crashed in the Andes in 1972, they resulted in cannibalism to stay alive for 2 months. Some fought the urge to eat until when they heard through a transmission radio that the search efforts had been called off. They ate the bodies of the casualties of the crash. Initially, the public reaction was revulsion but later after understanding, it was met with appreciation for the innovativeness that enabled them to beat the impossible odds. Another case as seen in the docudrama series, I wouldn’t be alive, is where two boys were lost at sea for 6 days. One ate a poisonous jellyfish and even considered eating his finger. They wished for death. The other attempted suicide by drowning to ease his suffering.

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Prolonged starvation causes gradual organ failure and then death. 20% of anorexia nervosa patients die of organ failure after the body falls between 60 -80 pounds. Eating at least three meals a day is ideal for optimal health. The process of starvation is gradual. The first phase of starvation:  Primarily, your body does not realize that you are fasting. During the first eight hours, it will continue to digest your last intake of food. It will use stored glucose as energy and continue to function as though you will be eating again soon. After eight hours without eating, your body will begin to use stored fats for energy. Your body will continue to use stored fat to create energy in the 24 hours. After 24 hours, your glucose storage is depleted. Your body starts to convert glycogen from your liver and muscles into glucose. However, your body is designed to conserve muscle, not break it down. So this phase provides temporary energy while your metabolism is making a major shift.

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Here we enter the second phase: to prevent excessive muscle loss, the body begins to rely on fat stores to create ketones for energy, a process known as ketosis. This is what most models try to achieve. At this stage the body is well-defined, and the abs are visible and very appealing to the eye. This may last for several weeks; it is the longest of the three phases. The third phase starts when a person’s fat reserves are depleted and there is a switch to proteins as the major source of the person’s energy. Muscles, the largest source of protein in the body, are quickly depleted. At the end of this phase, proteins – essential for cellular functions, are broken down and cell function degenerates. Along with the loss of weight, symptoms of starvation include apathy, withdrawal, listlessness, and increased susceptibility to disease.

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Few people die directly from starvation because they usually die of an infectious disease first. Starvation wreaks havoc on a person’s immune system, largely on account of an extreme deficiency of minerals and vitamins. Some people become weak and perish of immune-related diseases during starvation. Eventually, the person’s body runs out of options. Fats, glucose, muscle mass, and tissues are finite resources that will eventually be spent and the person will die. The diseases that kill starving people are often kwashiorkor and marasmus. Death by starvation is slow and painful and when it finally comes, it is caused by cardiac arrhythmia. How long it takes to die depends on your original body mass index but it typically happens after 3 weeks. However, some documented hunger strikes proved that it could take even longer than that. One happened in 1981 in Northeast Ireland where political prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest the presence of the British. They died between the periods of 46 and 73 days without food. It is now a fact that motivation and self-control are key elements in restraining food. More restraint is seen in great causes.