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There is a surprising amount of upkeep that can be forgone if needed. Muscle, nail and hair growth, reproductive functions like menstruation or sperm production
by pdosev 4y ago
There is a surprising amount of upkeep that can be forgone if needed. Muscle, nail and hair growth, reproductive functions like menstruation or sperm production, reducing energy use in the brain (malnourished people often report brain fog). I've also read about slower healing and being more prone to infections, so there's probably some general system overhead that is cut.
Of course, this is no way to live long term, but in a starvation situation it makes sense to reduce energy demand to the absolute minimum
- throwaway09223 4y agoYes, certainly. But those do not account for a significant change in the baseline consumption of calories. The baseline need remains significant, despite the body's attempt to cut corners. It's not a question of whether the body tries, it's a question of how effective it is -- and it's not very. Those effects I believe are also correlated with extremely low bodyfat moreso than a calorie deficit diet. In most cases a healthy person's body will simply consume fat to account for a deficit in the diet. We unfortunately have a lot of data about starvation. The effects on the body are very clear. Body fat will go first. Most americans are in absolutely no danger.