31 ms·

I knew a guy once with a milder version of what appears to be a similar syndrome. We worked together, and he would go out for lunch and wolf down a whole large

by nmaley 5y ago

I knew a guy once with a milder version of what appears to be a similar syndrome. We worked together, and he would go out for lunch and wolf down a whole large pizza. Afterwards, he would get very hot and sweaty. He was not particularly tall and skinny as a rake. He wasn't an athlete, had a sedentary job, yet he was eating 2-3 times normal calorie intake, maybe 5-6K calories/day at least. In all other respects he seemed a normal guy, who to my knowledge did not eat toddlers. There was clearly some medical reason for what was going on, but since he seemed normal in other respects as far as I know he never went to the doctor about it. I'm not medical and have no idea what his syndrome was, but I wonder if it could have had something to do with his mitochondrial functions. See https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/shilling-for-big-mitochondria https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/shilling-for-big-mitoc... I'm not suggesting Tarrare was taking a drug that hadn't been invented yet, but that possibly he naturally had a natural version of the mitochondrial permeability syndrome that DNP induces.

liamwire 5y ago
I came to the same thought immediately upon reading the article. Like a memory leak, but with calories instead of bytes.
- whatshisface 5y ago
  One might call it a, "leak."
- dkdbejwi383 5y ago
  > Like a memory leak, but with calories instead of bytes. What a missed opportunity!
bluedevil2k 5y ago
DNP is a common drug used by bodybuilders to drop fat extremely quickly. Like 20 pounds in 2 weeks quickly. It basically turns your metabolism up to 125% of normal. They describe themselves as being hot and sweaty at all times…though they do also say it destroys their appetite. Fun fact…it was originally developed as an explosive in WW1 and it was observed the workers in the munitions factories were losing tons of weight (and dying). Turns out DNP is a poison. Who would have guessed. https://www.thedailybeast.com/dnp-the-deadly-internet-diet-drug-that-cooks-people-alive https://www.thedailybeast.com/dnp-the-deadly-internet-diet-d...
- altgeek 5y ago
  For the body hackers reading this, DNP is not something to be trifled with. Cataracts are a common side effect, and overdose is uniformly fatal. But, you'll die a ripped corpse ;) Flex!
  - atdrummond 5y ago
    I would never suggest anyone use DNP but my understanding is that the cataract side effect is predominantly limited to women. I know dozens of men who have used it for years (from my time in the strength and bodybuilding sports) and not a single one had accelerated cataract development. Of the 5 women I knew who used it, 4 have developed cataracts before 50! I am looking for the paper on this but there’s a preprint I reviewed when I was a referee for a journal that was a meta-analysis on DNP side effects papers. The authors never resubmitted it but a lot of the data was solid. If I can find it I’ll share.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- WaxProlix 5y ago
  That's wild, but it sounds incredibly dangerous. Even if it were possible to safely dose something like this, getting pure and well-measured quantities has to be really, really hard, right? We're talking tens or hundreds of milligrams between 'safe' doses and unsafe ones. (200-300 seems to be 'recommended' starting dose; 350 is the lowest recorded fatal dose) I'd love to be beautiful as much as the next guy but man, seems risky.
  - sva_ 5y ago
    > getting pure and well-measured quantities has to be really, really hard, right? Accurate scales are very affordable nowadays. A $50 Gemini-20 can accurately measure in the milligram range with very little tolerance. The danger is probably more of people not keeping to the right dosages.
yesenadam 5y ago
Gee, whenever I have pizza, I eat a whole large one. It that so unusual?
- aidenn0 5y ago
  I do too, and yes it's unusual. My roommate in college was 120# when soaking wet, we would split the "dinner for 4" special. He would have one slice and a few cheese sticks. I ate the rest.
  - yesenadam 5y ago
    I don't know what "120# when soaking wet" means, but he sounds like the weird one!
    - jayd16 5y ago
      "When soaking wet" is just a phrase used imply that is the high end of the estimate. Many things, such as clothes, are much heavier when wet.
    - ethbr0 5y ago
      Also, # = pound = lb
      - yesenadam 5y ago
        ohh ok thanks! I thought maybe it was fahrenheit hehe.
      - yesenadam 5y ago
        Fascinating - I don't remember ever seeing that usage, didn't know it's used for pounds/weight, although I knew "pound sign" is one name for #. Seems the sign evolved from "lb" with a horizontal line through it. "When # is after a number, it is read as "pound" or "pounds", meaning the unit of weight. ...rare outside North America." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Names https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Names Reading that page, I learnt the word "octothorpe" was likely invented at Bell Labs in 1968! haha. Gee I thought it was a centuries-old name.
meroes 5y ago
Is there a chance this was his only meal of the day? For example I knew someone who ate once a day at an all you can eat buffet.
hotpockets 5y ago
In case you are wondering why oc suspected mitochondria, it's because many people believe (though science can't say for certain) that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
- School-Cotton 5y ago
  > though science can't say for certain What, really? I’ve always heard the mitochondria’s role in energy production described as established fact.
  - feoren 5y ago
    "Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" is a common meme for being one of the few random (and possibly useless) facts one remembers from school. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mitochondria-is-the-powerhouse-of-the-cell https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mitochondria-is-the-powerhous...
  - code-e 5y ago
    Poe's Law strikes again
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
raverbashing 5y ago
This ACx article is priceless > As far as I know, DNP is the only substance to be banned by both the FDA and the Department of Homeland Security for unrelated reasons. It does still make victims https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-016-1378-4 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-016-1378-...
inglor_cz 5y ago
I knew a tiny Slovak algebra postdoc who had the same ability(?). After eating a meal, her hands and cheeks would get really hot. She was about 100 lb and unable to gain weight by any means.

by nmaley 5y ago

liamwire 5y ago

I came to the same thought immediately upon reading the article. Like a memory leak, but with calories instead of bytes.

whatshisface 5y ago
One might call it a, "leak."
dkdbejwi383 5y ago
> Like a memory leak, but with calories instead of bytes. What a missed opportunity!

bluedevil2k 5y ago

DNP is a common drug used by bodybuilders to drop fat extremely quickly. Like 20 pounds in 2 weeks quickly. It basically turns your metabolism up to 125% of normal. They describe themselves as being hot and sweaty at all times…though they do also say it destroys their appetite. Fun fact…it was originally developed as an explosive in WW1 and it was observed the workers in the munitions factories were losing tons of weight (and dying). Turns out DNP is a poison. Who would have guessed. https://www.thedailybeast.com/dnp-the-deadly-internet-diet-drug-that-cooks-people-alive https://www.thedailybeast.com/dnp-the-deadly-internet-diet-d...

altgeek 5y ago
For the body hackers reading this, DNP is not something to be trifled with. Cataracts are a common side effect, and overdose is uniformly fatal. But, you'll die a ripped corpse ;) Flex!
- atdrummond 5y ago
  I would never suggest anyone use DNP but my understanding is that the cataract side effect is predominantly limited to women. I know dozens of men who have used it for years (from my time in the strength and bodybuilding sports) and not a single one had accelerated cataract development. Of the 5 women I knew who used it, 4 have developed cataracts before 50! I am looking for the paper on this but there’s a preprint I reviewed when I was a referee for a journal that was a meta-analysis on DNP side effects papers. The authors never resubmitted it but a lot of the data was solid. If I can find it I’ll share.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
WaxProlix 5y ago
That's wild, but it sounds incredibly dangerous. Even if it were possible to safely dose something like this, getting pure and well-measured quantities has to be really, really hard, right? We're talking tens or hundreds of milligrams between 'safe' doses and unsafe ones. (200-300 seems to be 'recommended' starting dose; 350 is the lowest recorded fatal dose) I'd love to be beautiful as much as the next guy but man, seems risky.
- sva_ 5y ago
  > getting pure and well-measured quantities has to be really, really hard, right? Accurate scales are very affordable nowadays. A $50 Gemini-20 can accurately measure in the milligram range with very little tolerance. The danger is probably more of people not keeping to the right dosages.

yesenadam 5y ago

Gee, whenever I have pizza, I eat a whole large one. It that so unusual?

aidenn0 5y ago
I do too, and yes it's unusual. My roommate in college was 120# when soaking wet, we would split the "dinner for 4" special. He would have one slice and a few cheese sticks. I ate the rest.
- yesenadam 5y ago
  I don't know what "120# when soaking wet" means, but he sounds like the weird one!
  - jayd16 5y ago
    "When soaking wet" is just a phrase used imply that is the high end of the estimate. Many things, such as clothes, are much heavier when wet.
  - ethbr0 5y ago
    Also, # = pound = lb
    - yesenadam 5y ago
      ohh ok thanks! I thought maybe it was fahrenheit hehe.
    - yesenadam 5y ago
      Fascinating - I don't remember ever seeing that usage, didn't know it's used for pounds/weight, although I knew "pound sign" is one name for #. Seems the sign evolved from "lb" with a horizontal line through it. "When # is after a number, it is read as "pound" or "pounds", meaning the unit of weight. ...rare outside North America." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Names https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_sign#Names Reading that page, I learnt the word "octothorpe" was likely invented at Bell Labs in 1968! haha. Gee I thought it was a centuries-old name.

meroes 5y ago

Is there a chance this was his only meal of the day? For example I knew someone who ate once a day at an all you can eat buffet.

hotpockets 5y ago

In case you are wondering why oc suspected mitochondria, it's because many people believe (though science can't say for certain) that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

School-Cotton 5y ago
> though science can't say for certain What, really? I’ve always heard the mitochondria’s role in energy production described as established fact.
- feoren 5y ago
  "Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" is a common meme for being one of the few random (and possibly useless) facts one remembers from school. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mitochondria-is-the-powerhouse-of-the-cell https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mitochondria-is-the-powerhous...
- code-e 5y ago
  Poe's Law strikes again
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

raverbashing 5y ago

This ACx article is priceless > As far as I know, DNP is the only substance to be banned by both the FDA and the Department of Homeland Security for unrelated reasons. It does still make victims https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-016-1378-4 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-016-1378-...

inglor_cz 5y ago

I knew a tiny Slovak algebra postdoc who had the same ability(?). After eating a meal, her hands and cheeks would get really hot. She was about 100 lb and unable to gain weight by any means.