This Podcast Will Kill You Ep 190 Starvation: More than hunger
Oct 14, 2025
The discussion delves into how starvation affects the body, from metabolic shifts to psychological impacts. It highlights the notable Minnesota Starvation Experiment and its insights into human behavior under extreme hunger. Listeners learn about the severe effects of malnutrition, such as muscle breakdown and immune system compromise, while contrasting disorders like marasmus and kwashiorkor. There's also a focus on the psychological challenges, including anxiety and cognitive consequences, alongside treatment strategies and the global state of child malnutrition.
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Stages Of Starvation Metabolism
- Human metabolism follows predictable stages during food deprivation: glycogen use, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, then muscle breakdown.
- Brain reliance on glucose drives early protein use and later ketone adaptation as starvation progresses.
Physiology Explained With Simple Timeline
- The body first uses liver glycogen for a few hours, then shifts to gluconeogenesis producing glucose from protein and glycerol.
- Fatty acid oxidation and ketone production follow, supplying tissues while sparing some protein.
Muscle Loss Marks Critical Phase
- Once fat stores are exhausted the body catabolizes skeletal muscle, causing rapid functional decline.
- Survival time in each phase varies by body composition, age, and comorbidities.
