What Are The Symptoms And Side Effects Of Starvation?

There are many ways to lose weight. But starving is not one of them! There are serious health effects of starving yourself.

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. and may stem from body dysmorphia.

Not eating can also lead to severe malnutrition and may even permanently damage your organs, and bones, and lead to muscle wasting. 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. Nutrient deficiencies lead to a weak immune system, 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 behavioral changes toward food and eating
• Poor emotional and social functioning
• Poor concentration
• Fainting or dizziness
• Reduction in the rate of weight loss
• Poor concentration due to cognitive impairment
• Gastrointestinal discomfort (digestive problems)
• Cold intolerance
• Cardiac stress and 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.

Did You Know?

Malnutrition affects people in every country around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, around 1.9 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and 462 million are underweight (2).

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 the effects of hormonal imbalances on their health 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 nervosa 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 suffering from an eating disorder 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) leading to osteoporosis.

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).

Quick Tip

People who experience starvation for a prolonged time can not begin to consume a normal quantity of food immediately, and will require a doctor’s supervision.

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).

Infographic: Most Damaging Effects Of Starving

Voluntary starving is never a healthy solution for losing weight. You may lose weight by not having food but it may cause serious health issues that can last a lifetime. Though we have listed all the damaging effects of starving in this article, you may check out the infographic below to know the most serious effects of starving that may lead to further health concerns.

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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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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, complete fasting does not allow any food and water intake and is called metabolic damage or starvation mode.

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.

Are you trying to starve yourself to lose weight? If yes, then watch this informative video to learn how a starvation diet can actually make you gain weight instead!

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Madhu SharmaRD

Madhu Sharma is a member of the National Executive Committee of IDA. She has been associated for almost three decades with Pediatric Nutrition at PGI while serving in the Gastroenterology Department (20 years) and then the Advanced Pediatric Center (10 yrs) at PGIMER, Chandigarh. She is former Senior Dietitian from PGIMER, Chandigarh, retired in 2012.   Madhu has been closely...more

• Kristy SmithNutritionist and Holistic Health Coach CHHC

  Kristy Smith is a Certified Holistic Health Coach with 5 years of experience. She specializes in coaching and support for women undergoing IVF and pre-conception coaching. She is adept in hormonal health coaching, weight management, stress management, PCOS management, and nutritional counseling.
  
  Kristy Smith is a Certified Holistic Health Coach with 5 years of experience. She specializes in coaching and support for women undergoing IVF and pre-conception coaching. She is adept in hormonal health coaching, weight management, stress management, PCOS management, and nutritional counseling.

Moksha GandhiHealth & Wellness Writer

Moksha is a health and wellness writer and a certified diet and nutrition coach. Her passion for science and writing has helped her excel in crafting evidence-based articles. Her previous experience in writing science-based research papers ensures that her articles are grounded in research and provide practical tips that are reader-focused. Moksha graduated from Mumbai University and was a key...more

Arshiya SyedaSenior Editor

Arshiya Syeda is a senior editor at StyleCraze with 7 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer and combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care. She holds a bachelor's degree in literature and psychology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post-graduate diploma in psychological...more

Priyanka SadhukhanNutritionist, CDE

Priyanka is a nutritionist and a Certified Diabetes Educator. She has over 8 years of experience in nutrition and dietetics with a strong research background. She is passionate about science and how it can be applied to one’s daily lifestyle. According to her, food is the best medicine, and proper nutrition is key to achieving good health. She has also...more