S2 Ep2: Maoism, the Great Leap Forward / Famine and the Sino-Soviet Split
In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare
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The Effects of Starvation on the Body
The body tries to keep its most important organ functioning for as long as possible, the brain. This is eventually done at the cost of muscles and other organs in the third phase of starvation. The liver can only do this for a few hours before the fatty acids from other parts of the body are used for this energy intake. After a period of weeks in this phase, the body will turn completely to your stored fats. You will often hear stories of people looking for sustenance in things that they wouldn't normally consider food. Leaves, bark, roots, etc. Some kind of cardiac arrest will ultimately claim the starving person's life.
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