American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 21, 87-97, Copyright © 1968 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Metabolic Aspects of Acute Starvation

Body Composition Changes

¹ From the U. S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory, Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, Col.

Body composition changes were observed in six healthy adult males 21-52 years of age, while fasting for 10 days. Fluid was available ad libitum.

The mean loss in body weight(7.30 kg) was densitometrically partitioned into a 3.46 kg loss of fat and a 3.84 kg loss in the fat-free body mass, which included a loss of 0.77 kg of dry protein. The United States Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory fat-predicting nomogram described fat losses adequately; however, urinary potassium and creatinine excretion, or potassium-40 counting, exceeded densitometric estimates of the dry-protein compartment by 22 and 31%, respectively.

The triceps and scapula skin folds demonstrated the greatest decrease (24.1 and 21.6%) while extremity girths decreased from 9.8 to 3.2% with the circumferences of the waist and buttocks diminishing by 5.8%.

Blood, plasma, and red blood cell volumes were significantly lowered during the fast in accordance with the severe hypohydration that was exhibited. No sequelae were noted during and after 40 days of rehabilitation when body weight was virtually restored to control levels. Use of D₂O as a tracer to demonstrate total body water appeared to be inapplicable during the starvation phase of the study.

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