Long-term effects of temporary starvation
October 7, 2019 3:51 AM Subscribe
After competing on Survivor, more than one contestant has said something like "My digestion was messed up for a year afterwards." The contestants generally claim this was not caused by a parasite. What is the mechanism by which two or more weeks of restricted caloric intake (and/or generally rough conditions) can cause a year of digestive problems? Is there something they could have done before or after the period of starvation to prevent this?
Note that this question springs purely from my combined fascination with the human body and reality TV. I have no plans to starve myself and I'm not looking for a professional medical opinion. I'm happy with informed speculation.
Note that this question springs purely from my combined fascination with the human body and reality TV. I have no plans to starve myself and I'm not looking for a professional medical opinion. I'm happy with informed speculation.
I read Say Nothing and the those on hunger strikes never got their eating to be "normal" afterwards. It wasn't clear if it was psychological or physical.
posted by Obscure Reference at 4:44 AM on October 7, 2019
posted by Obscure Reference at 4:44 AM on October 7, 2019
Kelly Wiglesworth definitely had a parasite.
Tony V had a parasite, too, and was bedridden for months if I remember correctly.
Lex from Africa had some sort of other non parasite intestinal infection that also messed him up really bad for months.
But I think the most common gut thing I remember reading is that most contestants on Survivor get the stomach flu at one point or another.
And then (theory) of course everyone on the show gets scrapes and cuts and other minor injuries they can't keep clean. Come off the show and have signs of infection? Get handed a broad spectrum antibiotic. And antibiotics have a long and well known history of messing up your poops.
Add any of this to chronic dehydration and just not generally giving your body enough to run on for a month and a longer recovery time wouldn't be surprising.
posted by phunniemee at 4:47 AM on October 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
Tony V had a parasite, too, and was bedridden for months if I remember correctly.
Lex from Africa had some sort of other non parasite intestinal infection that also messed him up really bad for months.
But I think the most common gut thing I remember reading is that most contestants on Survivor get the stomach flu at one point or another.
And then (theory) of course everyone on the show gets scrapes and cuts and other minor injuries they can't keep clean. Come off the show and have signs of infection? Get handed a broad spectrum antibiotic. And antibiotics have a long and well known history of messing up your poops.
Add any of this to chronic dehydration and just not generally giving your body enough to run on for a month and a longer recovery time wouldn't be surprising.
posted by phunniemee at 4:47 AM on October 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
The year to recover is consistent (so far as I remember from the book I'm about to mention) with what was learned from the Minnesota Starvation Experiment during WWII. Todd Tucker's book The Great Starvation Experiment: The Heroic Men Who Starved so That Millions Could Live (2006) goes into the details very thoroughly.
The volunteers in the experiment started showing stresses from it extremely early, and they were otherwise in comfortable but highly controlled conditions (i.e. comfortable sleeping arrangements, climate control, getting physical activity but not having to do anything excessive for the time/their starting states of health.) So I can totally believe that a quite short period of time in much rougher conditions could cause problems.
(It's a fascinating book and a fascinating if distressing study.)
posted by jenettsilver at 5:07 AM on October 7, 2019 [14 favorites]
The volunteers in the experiment started showing stresses from it extremely early, and they were otherwise in comfortable but highly controlled conditions (i.e. comfortable sleeping arrangements, climate control, getting physical activity but not having to do anything excessive for the time/their starting states of health.) So I can totally believe that a quite short period of time in much rougher conditions could cause problems.
(It's a fascinating book and a fascinating if distressing study.)
posted by jenettsilver at 5:07 AM on October 7, 2019 [14 favorites]
This is a complete WAG, but could this be a microbiome thing? It's easy to imagine that starving out your gut flora could lead to some serious dysbiosis.
This is anecdotal, but I know someone who appears to have given themself ten years of IBS by following an extreme diet for a month, and appears to have cured it, how shall we say, via a microbiome-mediated route.
posted by eirias at 5:56 AM on October 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
This is anecdotal, but I know someone who appears to have given themself ten years of IBS by following an extreme diet for a month, and appears to have cured it, how shall we say, via a microbiome-mediated route.
posted by eirias at 5:56 AM on October 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Weird quasi starvation diet + overuse of antibiotics is literally the worst case for gut flora/microbiome so this definitely sounds like something that could be addressed with probiotics
posted by JZig at 10:26 AM on October 7, 2019
posted by JZig at 10:26 AM on October 7, 2019
Coming here to specifically suggest the book The Great Starvation Experiment: The Heroic Men Who Starved so That Millions Could Live if this is your area of interest. I think the antibiotics + messed up gut flora is more of a deal than just extremely low caloric intake.
posted by jessamyn at 12:48 PM on October 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 12:48 PM on October 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
Don't underestimate the psychological effects, either. If eating becomes a huge source of stress for you, it's unsurprising that that disruption could linger well after you've returned to normal food.
posted by praemunire at 1:33 PM on October 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 1:33 PM on October 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
Another complete guess as I don't even watch the show, but could they be going without dairy for long enough to experience reduced lactase production, thereby becoming lactose intolerant and maybe not realizing it?
posted by peep at 2:06 PM on October 7, 2019
posted by peep at 2:06 PM on October 7, 2019
The condition you're referencing is called refeeding syndrome.
posted by txtwinkletoes at 4:29 PM on October 7, 2019
posted by txtwinkletoes at 4:29 PM on October 7, 2019
My 91 year old father-in-law witnessed starvation during the Korean Conflict and still talks about it all the time.
Additionally, there is a part in Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five", based on WWII, about the POW camp soldiers getting food for the first time in a long time and having very upset bowel movements.
posted by jillithd at 8:19 AM on October 8, 2019
Additionally, there is a part in Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five", based on WWII, about the POW camp soldiers getting food for the first time in a long time and having very upset bowel movements.
posted by jillithd at 8:19 AM on October 8, 2019
Response by poster: Thanks, everybody! I'm not marking a best answer because there's no way of knowing the specific medical facts but your thoughtful speculation was exactly what I was looking for.
posted by yankeefog at 1:47 AM on October 10, 2019
posted by yankeefog at 1:47 AM on October 10, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Now, this is much longer caloric restriction, but perhaps it's the same mechanism?
posted by freethefeet at 4:28 AM on October 7, 2019