Search results
- Overview
- How long can you survive without food?
- Why the survival time period varies
- How is it possible to survive days without food?
- Why does water intake affect survival time without food?
- What are the side effects and risks of restricted eating?
- Frequently asked questions
- Summary
Experts do not know exactly how long a person can live without eating, but there are records of people surviving without food or drink between 8 and 21 days.
Estimates of how long you can live without food are based on events where people have survived being trapped or buried alive, as it is not ethical to carry out such experiments on humans.
Food and water consumption is essential to human life. Your body needs energy from food sources and hydration from water to function properly. The many systems in your body work optimally with a varied diet and adequate water intake daily.
But our bodies are also able to survive for days without water. We can go days or sometimes weeks without food because of adjustments to our metabolism and energy consumption.
When a person’s body does not receive enough calories to carry out its usual life-supporting functions, this is known as starvation. This can happen if food intake is severely restricted, or if a person’s body cannot digest food to absorb nutrients.
When the human body is severely deprived of calories, it starts functioning differently to reduce the amount of energy it burns. If nutrition is not restored, starvation leads to loss of life.
There is no hard and fast “rule of thumb” for how long you can live without food. To some extent, the answer depends on individual differences and circumstances. Information about life expectancy is based on real world contexts, such as hunger strikes and serious medical conditions.
With no food and no water, the maximum time the body can survive is thought to be about one week. With water only, but no food, survival time may extend up to 2 to 3 months.
Over time, a severely restricted food intake can reduce the lifespan.
Being underweight, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5, is associated with malnutrition and a range of health conditions that can lower life expectancy. These include reduced immune system function, digestive conditions, and cancer.
Being able to live for days and weeks with no food and water seems inconceivable to many of us. After all, a daylong fast or even an hours-long stretch without food and water can make many of us irritable and low on energy.
Your body actually adjusts itself if you engage in a short-term fast or are unable to access food and water for very long stretches of time.
For this reason, adults without health conditions are usually able to engage in religious fasts and even try “fasting” diets like the eat-stop-eat approach while continuing their regular daily activities.
It takes about 24 hours without eating for your body to change how it produces energy.
Under normal circumstances, your body breaks down food into glucose. The glucose provides energy to the body.
During the first 24 hours without food, as your glucose storage is depleted, your body will begin to convert glycogen from your liver and muscles into glucose.
With adequate water intake, some people have survived with no food for weeks or even several months. Survival time is longer with water intake because the body has much more in its reserves to replace food than fluid. Your kidney function will diminish within a few days without proper hydration.
One 1997 commentary that looked at hunger strikes suggested that a person needs to drink about 1.5 liters of water a day to survive starvation for a longer period of time. The author also suggested adding up to half a teaspoon of salt a day to the water.
Depending on the specifics, reports suggest that some people can survive starvation for days or weeks. However, during starvation, your body’s many systems will begin to deteriorate.
The effects of starvation may include:
•faintness
•dizziness
•cognitive changes
•low blood pressure
How long can you go without eating?
Estimates based on events when people have been trapped or buried suggest you can survive without food between 8 and 21 days. In 1981, hunger strikers in the Maze Prison, Belfast, died after 45–61 days of not eating food.
What happens if you don’t eat for 7 days but drink water?
During the first 5 days of not eating any food, a person may lose 2.2–4.4 pounds per day. If you don’t eat for 4 days you may also experience faintness and dizziness. Once a person loses 10% of their body weight or has a BMI of 16.5 or less, complications due to starvation may begin. Experts commenting on hunger strikes recommend close observation after 10 days of not eating if a person’s original body weight is unknown.
Can a person live 30 days without food?
Yes, it’s possible someone may live 30 days without food, although very unlikely. Some records suggest people have survived up to 61 days, although usually, most live 8 to 21 days.
Human bodies are fairly resilient. In some circumstances, the body can function for days or weeks without proper food and water, but there are risks.
People who have experienced starvation may have long-term health effects, and starvation eventually becomes fatal.
- Natalie Silver
Oct 19, 2020 · Aside from the plethora of health benefits, the main reason was to see what it was like to go five days without food. If you had told me 3-years-ago, I'd have gone five days without food an operated almost as normal, I'd have told you to f*ck off.
Mar 16, 2024 · Stage 1: Glycogen Depletion (0–2 Days) In the first 24–48 hours without food, the body relies on glycogen stores in the liver and muscles to maintain blood glucose levels. Glycogen is broken down into glucose, which provides energy for the brain, red blood cells, and other glucose-dependent tissues. During this stage:
Nov 4, 2024 · Researchers believe a person can live for up to three weeks without food as long as they have water. Without water and food, a person cannot survive for more than four or five days. The body often finds alternate ways to generate energy during starvation and prolong life for a certain period.
Nov 9, 2023 · Over the short term, not eating enough can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and symptoms like fatigue, shakiness, and nausea. If a person continues not to eat, they may experience slurred speech, confusion, syncope (fainting), and even seizures.
People also ask
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Apr 22, 2023 · Fasting or deliberately going without food for short periods of time can be a healthy way to lose weight or manage certain medical conditions. However, it should only be done for hours, not days. Before you begin fasting, make sure to ask your healthcare provider if it's safe for you.
