Several factors determine how long a person can live without food. The reasons why can be psychological, necessity or forced. The answer to how long a person can live without food depends on a person's body and weight, your state of mind, your will power and climate and hydration rate.
* First, you need to know who's asking and why they want to know.
* Are they an adventurer in survival training?
* Are they planning a protest with a hunger strike?
* Is it a question for a biology quiz?
* Is there an eating disorder?
There are three main factors that influence survival without food: water, body weight and your overall health.
The most important need for survival is water. Doctors confirm the average person lives about 4 to 6 weeks without food. However, the body can last only a couple of days without water. When you don't get enough water to stay hydrated you become lethargic, dizzy, confused, and eventually die. Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger strike at age 74, protesting for India's independence. He survived 21 days even though he was of slight build. He allowed himself sips of water to survive. On the other hand Jewish hostages of the holocaust basically starved to death even though they consumed food. The amounts they ate were witnessed to be only between 300 and 600 calories a day.
In biology the rule of thumb for survival is the rule of three. In other words 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water or 3 weeks without food leads to death. But the statistics for total starvation are insufficient. One report of political prisoners in Northern Ireland showed that survival without food lasted between 46 and 73 days for 10 individuals. Terminally ill patients often refuse food and water in an attempt to end their lives. They live anywhere from 10 to 14 days.
With ample body fat, an person can last longer without food. If the person is obese,they may last between 4 and 25 weeks. The length of time is often dependent on the rate of metabolism to burn stored fat and energy. The rate of how long a person can live without food depends on many factors.
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