Facts Friday: The Minnesota Starvation Study Myth Busted 😩
Facts Friday
Today, I'll be putting a huge myth in the fitness industry to bed.
Eating too little and not eating weight.
Some people believe that that are eating too little and not losing weight. Which is essentially like saying that you're spending more money than you're saving and getting too rich.
Never happening.
Let me introduce you to the Starvation Study that was done at the University of Minnesota in 1944-1945.
36 men participated in the year-long study.
They were taken through different periods of the year that were broken into:
3 months of a standardised diet
6 months of starvation
3 months of a recovery diet
The first three months they were given 3,200 calories per day.
The next six months, they entered the starvation phase and were only allowed 1,570 calories per day.
The final three months they were divided into groups where they received an extra 400, 800, 1200 or 1600 calories per day to recover from starvation but eventually found that was not enough and increased every group by 800 calories.
So... what happened in the study?
The men very soon showed a remarkable decline in strength and energy. Charting a 21-percent reduction in their strength, as measured by their performance on a back lift dynamometer. The men complained that they felt old and constantly tired.
The men all had strong political opinions, but as the grip of hunger tightened, political affairs and world events faded into irrelevance for them.
Sex and romance lost their appeal.
Food became their overwhelming priority. Some of the men obsessively read cookbooks, staring at pictures of food with an almost pornographic obsession.
Cheating became a major issue as an almost uncontrollable urge to seek out food gripped them. One person began having vivid, disturbing dreams of cannibalism in which he was eating the flesh of an old man. On trips into town (before a buddy system had been implemented), he cheated extravagantly, downing milk shakes and sundaes. He was eliminated from the experiment
The heart rates of the men slowed dramatically, from an average of 55 beats per minute to 35. This was their metabolism slowing down, attempting to conserve calories.
From the participants point of view, the most uncomfortable change was the lack of body fat. It became difficult for them to sit down for long periods of time because their bones would grind against the seats.
They also felt cold all the time.
AND FINALLY...After six months of starvation, the men had lost almost a quarter of their weight, dropping from an average of 152.7 pounds down to 115.6 pounds.
Surprisingly, to some, nobody gained weight.
You can see from the picture at the top of the email, the man is much leaner than he was when he started the experiment.
Simply because he burnt more calories than he consumed everyday for six months.
So, if someone isn't losing weight and is "not eating enough" often they're overeating (and just aren't aware of it), eating little amounts for 4-5 days and then losing control for 1-2 days (diet was too restrictive in the first place and then they overcompensate with binge eating) or they're an alien from outer space.
Hope that helps clarify this MYTH.
If you want me to bust more myths with me on Facts Friday next week, please reply to this email with some myths you want me to bust.
And if you want workout programs and nutrition advice that is completely free of B.S. and myths, hit the button below and get your Team Brock Ashby workout program!