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The deadline to survive without food is not specific. Without water, it is unlikely to survive more than a week. But it is possible that it can live for weeks if only it is deprived of food.
No one can survive without energy. The body has an ability to survive for a period of time by drawing energy from fat and muscle stores. But that does not mean that extreme diets to lose weight by stopping eating are safe , can be deadly.
Survival time varies, personal factors like starting weight play a role. Lean people can generally tolerate weight loss of up to 18% of their body mass, while obese people can tolerate more than 20%.
Verywell Health explains that the research has found that in people who are not overweight or obese, hunger causes death between 43 and 70 days. In people with obesity, the survival period may be longer.
How the body resists without food
The glucose reserve is depleted the day after not eating. Subsequently the body first removes stored glucose from the liver and temporarily breaks down the muscles to release glucose.
For 3-4 days and stored glucose is It is completely depleted and the body begins to use fat as its main fuel. The liver produces ketone bodies from fat , which can be used in the absence of glucose, the brain will use ketones for fuel. This can allow humans to survive for a time without food.
When there is no more fat, the available fuel source is protein in the muscles . But nurse Angela Morrow, certified in hospice and palliative care, points out that as proteins break down, the function of the heart, kidneys and liver is lost, resulting in loss of function. which ultimately leads to the death of a person.
Losing weight without starving is possible
A person who deprives himself of food without any control may suffer from malnutrition, anemia, osteoporosis and bone fractures, sterility,
- weaken your immune system among other negative effects.
For most overweight people, reduce 450 calories a day can make you lose around 450 grams per week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that some foods should be replaced s are high in calories from foods that are lower in calories and satisfy you, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean meat.
Not all people require the same calorie intake , it depends on several factors such as gender, age, physical activity. A diet with the same amount of calories can give different results from one person to another.
For an adult woman between 31 and 50 years without physical activity required approximately 1, 800 calories per day, for an adult man of the same age without physical activity, between 2 are required, 200 and 2, 400 daily calories.
There are stricter calorie diets that obesity specialists often apply. Before submitting to a strict calorie control plan, consult a nutrition or obesity specialist.
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