Severe symptoms of starvation begin around 35-40 days, and as highlighted by the hunger strikers of the Maze Prison in Belfast in the 1980s, death can occur at around 45 to 61 days. Generally, it appears as though humans can survive without any food for 30-40 days, as long as they are properly hydrated. In a 1997 editorial in the British Medical Journal, Peel briefly reviewed the available literature regarding human starvation. Also, it must be noted that during his life, Gandhi is reported to have performed a total of 14 hunger strikes. What extraordinary about this case is the fact that Gandhi was very lean when he started his hunger-strike, thus not having much energy reserve from the outset. During his protest, Gandhi ate absolutely no food and only took sips of water for 21 days, and survived. One of the most well known cases of voluntary starvation, is the hunger strike of Mahatma Ganhdi. Instead, there are many accounts of either voluntary or involuntary cases of complete or near-complete starvation that allow us to make some very general conclusions. This recent story of near complete starvation highlights the human ability to survive for long periods of time without sustenance.ĭue to obvious ethical concerns, there is not a whole lot of credible scientific data on the topic of starvation and survival.
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