Scary! Eating dinner like this is tantamount to chronic suicide...

In this era of "looking at faces", "thin beauty" seems to have become a recognized aesthetic standard. Some people discriminate against others for this, and some people are discriminated against because of it.

Of course, there are more people who do not hesitate to "give a hard hand" to themselves, adopting fasting or semi-fasting strategies, such as not eating dinner, fasting on weekends, etc., just for a "hungry fruit".

Today, we're going to take you back in history and unveil fasting or semi-fasting, and take you to a new study to show you how healthy people should manage their weight and diet.

Background of hunger research in Minnesota during World War II

During World War II, in addition to the direct injuries caused by the war, famine has been a shadow of death hanging over the heads of people in war zones.

In addition to politics, there are also scientists who want to figure out what long-term hunger will affect people's physical and mental health, and how the normal diet after long-term hunger will bring changes to the human body, and strive to fill the gap in science while providing medical basis for the reconstruction of people's nutrition and health after the war.

At that time, many men in the United States joined the military and rushed to the front lines of the war, but some people refused to serve and participate in the war for moral or religious reasons, and stayed in the United States to serve the country in other ways, one of which was to participate in pharmaceutical clinical trials and dedicate themselves to the development of new drugs and scientific research.

Against this backdrop, Ancel Keys (AK), a giant of nutrition and a professor at the University of Minnesota at the time, submitted an application to the U.S. Department of the Army in 1944 for a year-long study of a half-starvation experiment, which was quickly approved.

The U.S. Department of War sent invitations to more than 12,000 military refusers, and more than 400 expressed willingness to participate, from which AK selected 36 very healthy men (average age 25; height 178 cm; weight 69 kg) as subjects.

The experimental recruitment brochure, which was issued at the time, featured children facing empty plates on the cover and the bottom read, "Would you rather starve to make them eat healthier?" ”[1]

Experimental design for the Minnesota Hunger Study

In November 1944, the Semi-Starvation Experiment was officially launched at the University of Minnesota in the United States to explore how chronic inadequate food and nutrient intake could affect the physical and mental health of the human body.

The study was divided into three phases: a 3-month feeding period (providing about 3200 kcal of food per day on demand); a 6-month period of semi-starvation (only about 1600 to 1800 kcal of food per day); and a 3-month recovery period (increasing 400 kcal per day until the subjects' nutritional needs were met).

One of the recipes recorded in the experimental design section with a total calorie of 1825 kcal[3]

The food, clothing, shelter and transportation of the trial subjects were mainly arranged inside the university, and in addition to completing various daily tasks, they also needed to walk an additional 35.4 km (average 5 km / day) per week;

During the semi-starvation period, the subjects need to lose 1.1 kg of weight per week, and if this indicator is not met in the current week, the food supply will be further reduced next week to ensure that by the end of the semi-starvation period, the subjects can lose 75% of their original weight;

Throughout the trial, subjects were required to strictly follow a daily diet plan and undergo a series of physical and psychological assessments.

Iii. Experimental results of the Minnesota Hunger Study

The feeding period is beautiful, everyone can eat enough, have a job to do, and can also participate in various courses in the university and do all kinds of things they like.

In February 1945, a period of semi-starvation began. According to the plan, subjects can eat 2 meals a day from Monday to Saturday, and only 1 lunch on Sundays. (Is it similar to some people who lose weight now "skip dinner and fast lightly on weekends"?) ）

As the trial progressed, both the physical and mental health of the subjects was greatly affected.

Physically

In addition to weight loss and malnutrition, subjects experienced dizziness, anemia, decreased heart rate, muscle loss and functional decay, muscle soreness, crazy hair loss, nerve damage, severe fatigue, and cold intolerance (blankets are also required in severe heat).

By the end of the semi-starvation period, the subject weighed only about 100 pounds, and there were very obvious manifestations of malnutrition on the appearance, including lower limb edema, facial and abdominal depressions, and protruding ribs. The subject's physical strength was severely weakened, and even the usual walking became a problem.

Participants in a semi-starvation trial, photo published in the July 30, 1945 issue of the magazine Life[1]

For example, there is a "two-person travel" system in the study, in which 2 people must accompany and supervise each other when going out (to avoid subjects buying food outside and breaking the diet plan).

Unexpectedly, the system made life easier for the subjects, as they struggled to even climb the roadside steps, and the two of them could support each other together.

Psychological aspect

Chronic hunger and malnutrition made sunny subjects cold, world-weary, negative, irritable, aggressive, neurotic and depressive, and had an unusual obsession with food.

One subject, C, recalled afterwards that he was inexplicably obsessed with collecting recipes to get a sense of satisfaction.

Many subjects said that soon after the semi-starvation period, their desire to socialize and date with women was gone, their sexual desire was gone, and looking at photos of food was more satisfying than looking at pictures of erotic materials.

Comparison of body sizes of participants in the semi-starvation trial before and during starvation[2]

At the end of July 1945, the recovery period officially began, but the subjects' physical condition did not recover quickly. Their weight gain is not only much slower than expected, but many people do not increase or decrease at the beginning of the recovery period, which is caused by the gradual reduction of malnutrition, the body edema begins to subside, and the weight loss of water is caused.

At the end of the recovery period, their average weight was only about 108 pounds, and only a very small number of them recovered to the level at which the trial began, and even if their weight recovered, their muscle content recovered very little.

In addition, although the subjects' psychological state improved slightly after returning to normal diet, there was still an extraordinary desire and impulse for food, and even the behavior of overeating could not be controlled, and at the same time, the state of frigidity lasted for a long time.

Comparison of body size during starvation and convalescence of participants in the semi-starvation trial[1]

According to statistics, the time it takes for the subjects to recover to basic health is as short as 2 months, and the long ones are even 2 years long.

The significance of the Minnesota semi-starvation study

During the year that the Minnesota hunger test lasted, not only were the subjects physically and mentally tortured, but the conscience of the research team was repeatedly tormented.

But throughout the course of the study, no one voluntarily withdrew, and the subjects believed that this was their way of contributing to the country during the war, but not on the front line.

It was not until 1964 that the scientific community slowly perfected the basic rules of scientific research ethics to avoid harming the subjects of the research in the experiment.

However, the Minnesota Hunger Study is still very meaningful, and the results of the trial tell us that long-term hunger (that is, insufficient diet and nutrient intake) is hugely destructive:

As long as the energy intake is maintained at about half of the demand, only 6 months, it can completely get people out of the original healthy, sunny appearance, even in the relatively perfect medical care conditions, the degree of physical decline can not be controlled, and it takes a huge amount of energy afterwards to return to a basic healthy state after a long time.

Therefore, even in today's world of fat people and a bunch of people who want to lose weight, doctors and dietitians will never prescribe semi-fasting or fasting weight loss prescriptions to obese patients. All weight interventions are based on the premise of maintaining or promoting the physical and mental health of the human body.

Source: Stand Cool Helo

Fifth, the weight management of ordinary healthy people

After the Minnesota Hunger Experiment, there were many other diet-related studies in the academic community, but none of them were as radical as the Minnesota Hunger Experiment.

It is worth mentioning that an article published in the top "Lancet" in July this year can provide some reference for ordinary healthy people who intend to lose weight through diet.

Beginning in 2007, Duke University in the United States conducted a two-year dieting study in a group of healthy people aged 21 to 50 years [4].

The study randomly divided 218 subjects into 2 groups – dieting and free-eating, in which the dieting group had 25% less energy intake than usual.

The research team spent a month teaching them the methods and techniques of controlling their diet, but at the same time maintaining a relatively Buddhist state, not strictly controlling the subjects' diets, and the "revolution" was all about self-awareness.

Finally, the effects of different dietary patterns on the cardiovascular system were judged by examining the risk indicators associated with cardiovascular health in the two groups.

The results showed that the dietary group's dietary dietary calories decreased by an average of only 11.9% (from 2467 kcal to 2170 kcal), which is equivalent to eating one bottle of Coke plus 1/3 serving of small packaged fries per day.

However, over two years, the dieting group lost an average of 7.5 kg of body weight (75% from fat), blood pressure, blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the legendary "bad cholesterol"), triglycerides, and inflammatory indicators were all lower than initial levels, and HDL cholesterol (the legendary "good cholesterol") was elevated. These indicators are significantly better than the free-eating group.

This study tells us that for healthy adults, a slight reduction in energy intake is beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

It can be seen that different dieting programs get completely different results, and everything is too much to be afraid of.

The 1944 Minnesota study categorically reduced the calorie supply by more than 50 percent, and in just 6 months, the weight was greatly reduced, but the people were dying. In contrast, in the 2007 Duke study, "Buddhism", a small amount of diet - eating to maintain eight or nine points full, unconsciously reduced weight, but also has a health care effect on the body.

In short, for obese patients or healthy people, proper control of caloric intake has a positive impact on the body, but the premise is to use a scientific method to treat the "diet to lose weight" thing.

Source: Stand Cool Helo

bibliography:

[1] Kalm L, Semba R. They Starved So That Others Be Better Fed: Remembering Ancel Keys and the Minnesota Experiment. J Nutr. 2005;135(6):1347-1352. doi:10.1093/jn/135.6.1347

[2] Tucker T. The Great Starvation Experiment. MN: University of Minnesota Press; 2007.

[3] 70 years ago, the Minnesota Starvation Experiment changed lives – Twin Cities. Twincities.com. https://www.twincities.com/2014/11/15/70-years-ago-the-minnesota-starvation-experiment-changed-lives/. Published 2019. Accessed September 2, 2019.

[4] Kraus W, Bhapkar M, Huffman K et al. 2 years of calorie restriction and cardiometabolic risk (CALERIE): exploratory outcomes of a multicentre, phase 2, randomised controlled trial.

*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.

*The copyright of this article belongs to Tencent Medical Code, unauthorized media reprinting is prohibited, and illegal reprinting will be investigated for legal responsibility according to law. Individuals are welcome to forward to the circle of friends.

* Welcome to WeChat search and pay attention to the public account "Tencent Medical Code" to get more health science knowledge.