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nesquikchocolate t1_iybtwbk wrote

Reply to comment by Ok_Ad_9188 in ELI5: Why can't you just not eat if you're overweight? by Ok_Ad_9188

Starvation is triggered by hormones, which are released because your stomach is telling your brain it's empty and ready for more. This starts 4-8 hours after your last meal, always. If you interrupt these hormones, like some diet pills did, then you get "magic" weight loss without feeling bad.

But now you're damaging the brain, telling it to ignore basic survival signals - and the brain doesn't run on glucose, so it cannot get fuel from body fat - it needs your liver to create ketones from fatty acids, and when you consume fatty acids, you're adding calories again, which will allow you to survive indefinitely.

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Ok_Ad_9188 OP t1_iydttg1 wrote

That makes sense. But it still doesn't explain the mysterious case of Mr. Barbieri lol I'm beginning to feel a certain amount of skepticism over the case now. Thanks for the input man

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nesquikchocolate t1_iye8025 wrote

Doctors can keep people alive in comas for decades, we've got plenty of proof for that.

If your goal is to be "alive", then sure, it can be done using supplements and your body fat reserves - we've also seen a few cases of this.

The amount of permanent damage you do to your organs and brain, however, is unknown. How the extreme starvation feelings will rewire your brain is unknown. How your body will react when you start eating again is largely unknown.

Unknown is scary for doctors, they avoid anything and everything that isn't in their handbooks - for good reason! People sue people on a whim.

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