Reducing calorie intake may work for weight loss. But not eating anything or consuming negligible amounts of food can cause nutritional deficiencies. Self-inflicted starvation can also be attributed to a condition like anorexiai XAn eating disorder characterized by abnormally low body weight and extreme restriction on calorie intake. . Not eating can also lead to severe malnutrition and may even permanently damage your organs. Starving, in other words, can cause both physical and mental damage. Read on to learn about the harmful side effects of starving yourself.
Symptoms Of Starvation
Kristy Smith, Nutritionist and Holistic Health Coach, says, “Starving has drastic effects on your body. It destroys your muscles, bones, skin, and organs. Immunity gets weak due to a lack of nutrients, and your body becomes susceptible to a number of diseases.” She adds, “Long-term effects include chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease. It also causes electrolyte disturbance resulting in weakness, tiredness, or sometimes even depression. In addition, it results in a slow heart rate and abnormally low blood pressure. In fact, starvation acts as an invitation to many diseases.” The starvation symptoms vary from person to person. The major symptoms reported are (1):
Fatigue Abnormal attitude and behavior towards food and eating Poor emotional and social functioning Poor concentration Dizziness Reduction in the rate of weight loss Impaired cognitive performance, like poor concentration Gastrointestinal discomfort Cold intolerance Drop in blood pressure
Starvation for a long period should not be encouraged as it may lead to several side effects.
What Are The Side Effects Of Starvation?
1. Malnutrition
According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition can be defined as deficiency, excess, or imbalances of specific nutrients (2). This is perhaps the most damaging effect of voluntary or forced starvation. Starvation usually means that you don’t eat much at all. This leads to many essential nutrients and vitamins being excluded from your diet.
2. Dehydration
Lack of food for a long period slows down the body’s energy stores and poor nutrition, which is often related to dehydration. This dehydration may, in turn, aggravate other problems and lead to cracked and exceedingly dry skin, lethargyi XA state of lacking energy and being drowsy that can be alleviated by getting enough rest or sleep. , lack of urinary output, low or undetectable blood pressure, along with other conditions like constipation, among others (3). Thus, it is important to remember to drink enough water, even if you are on a starvation diet. Starvation and dehydration depletes glycogen levels and disturbs electrolyte balance.
3. Decreases Resting Metabolic Rate
Starvation for a long period decreases metabolic ratei XThe number of calories you burn or are required to accomplish your body’s needs over a specific period of time. as you are depriving your body of food and water, which almost exhausts its energy stores. Chronic starvation decreases the resting metabolic rate, but the exact mechanism is still not understood well (4).
4. Loss Of Monthly Menstrual Period
Starvation leads to many problems. One of these problems is it upsets how your periods are regulated. Those thinking about going on a starvation diet may want to consider this aspect before beginning the diet. The adipose tissue helps to produce female sex hormones by regulating the receptors (5). Due to prolonged starvation, your fat cells start to shrink. The lack of fat cells causes lack of estrogen, the female hormone (6). As prolonged starvation can lead to organ damage, the body processes tend to slow down, which usually causes menstruation to stop.
5. Constipation
Starvation can also induce constipation in many individuals. Studies on many individuals with anorexia have shown that they may deal with severe starvation, which can lead to many disorders and requires the use of regular laxativesi XA type of over-the-counter medicine that helps improve stool weight and consistency and increases bowel movements. to be treated wholly. A case study on three women with severe anorexia found that they needed to use regular laxatives or enemas to help flush their colon. These women also ran a higher risk of rectal prolapsei XA condition that occurs when the rectum becomes stretched out and slips outside the anus, the end of the digestive tract. due to the overuse of laxatives (7).
6. Bone Loss
A starved or starving individual may continue to lose weight at an alarming rate. Although the changes in the skin and musculature are quite obvious, the bones also undergo developmental changes. In both animal models and humans, prolonged starvation caused bone loss by stimulating osteoclast activity (bone cells break down), leading to loss of bone mineral density and decreased overall bone strength (8).
7. Fatigue
One of the most common side effects of starvation is fatigue. Starvation upsets the balance of essential vitamins in your body and slows down physiological processes, which can lead to fatigue and a feeling of lightheadedness.
8. Effects On Blood Pressure
Chronic starvation may lower blood pressure levels as your body is completely devoid of food and water. A case study on a 17-year-old girl with anorexia showed very low blood pressure, which was very difficult to measure (9).
9. Electrolyte Imbalance
Starvation leads to electrolyte imbalance, which is mostly due to dehydration after prolonged fasting. Studies on rats showed that starvation could lead to electrolyte imbalances, especially sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium levels, which increased after refeeding them (10).
10. Affects The Brain
Prolonged starvation impairs brain function and exhausts all the glucose needed for the effective functioning of cognitive abilities. A study on female mice showed that 48 hours of starvation markedly decreased brain glucose consumption and biochemical reactions associated with it (11). Now that you know how starvation can adversely affect your body, we hope that you will rethink before going on those starvation diets. They are just a quick fix and offer little long-term benefits. Opt for a balanced regimen to lose weight. Does your stomach shrink when you starve? Kristy Smith says, “No, it does not shrink your stomach. As you become an adult, the size of your stomach remains the same unless you go through surgery. Eating less helps you rest your appetite thermostat, so you don’t feel hungry and can follow up on your eating plans.” What’s the difference between starving and intermittent fasting? According to Kristy Smith, “Starving is defined as completely retaining yourself from eating food or eating very few calories for a longer period whereas intermittent fasting can be described as eating food within a specific time frame.” She adds, “Another thing that differentiates between the two is the severity of the symptoms. People who are starving can develop brain dysfunction, heart failure, diabetes, etc. On the other hand, people who are fasting can experience mild symptoms like hunger, headache, dizziness, etc.” Can starvation cause internal bleeding? Starvation is not related to internal bleeding. Prolonged starvation may cause physical and mental damage. Does your stomach shrink when you starve? Starving for long can reduce the amount of food your stomach can accommodate. Does intermittent fasting put you in the starvation mode? Intermittent fasting is short-term fasting, which is restricted to a 16:8-hour window, followed by eating healthy food. On the other hand, starving means complete fasting in which no food and water are allowed. Does starving yourself make you bloat? Yes, starvation makes you bloat as you are not drinking water to digest the remaining food in your stomach. Can your body reject food after starvation? Refeeding syndrome can occur when a person resumes eating after starvation. This is due to the reintroduction of glucose or sugar. There may be abrupt changes in the electrolyte and fluid balance as the body processes meals once more. As a result of these changes, the condition can be lethal.
