Doctors’ rule of thumb for how long a well-nourished adult can live without any food is 40 days.
This figure is based on a study of hunger strike participants published in the British Medical Journal in 1997. During the hunger strike, serious and life-threatening complications occurred between 21 and 40 days later.
In fact, the lifespan is determined by the original body fat percentage of the individuals, the higher the better. It should also be noted that man spends extra energy in keeping the temperature up or down in both cold and heat.
A Swede stuck in snow lived for two months
A study published in the journal Nutrition Bulletin in 2001 found that women tolerate hunger better than men.
The researchers behind the study concluded that women gave up when their BMI dropped to 11, while men gave up when their BMI dropped to 13.
If the body mass index is 13, a 180 cm tall man weighs only 42 kg, while a 170 cm tall woman weighs only 32 kg when the body mass index drops to 11.
A hangover causes muscle and liver breakdown
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Liver
- Glycogen in the liver and muscles is converted to glucose.
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Fat reserves
- The body’s fat stores are converted into waste products called ketones.
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Muscles
- Protein from muscle tissue is converted into glucose.
A few false stories about confinement, whether voluntary or not, stretch the limit to nearly two months. Here it is enough to mention the story of the Swede Peter Skyllberg who locked himself in his car in a shed near the city of Umeå from December 19, 2011 to February 17, 2012, for a total of 60 days.
It is not certain if he had access to any limited amount of calories in chocolate, for example, but it is known that he was given nothing to drink other than melted snow.
