The Story of Angus Barbieri

In 1965, a 27-year-old man in Scotland, Angus Barbieri, determined he wished to lose some weight. At the time, he weighed 456 kilos. Under doctors’ supervision, he started fasting and survived for greater than a 12 months with out meals, setting a brand new world file.

Angus Barbieri was an overweight man who was decided to shed some pounds. He confirmed up on the hospital and advised medical doctors he was going to start fasting, it doesn’t matter what, so they may as effectively monitor him.

According to the doctor’s report, he introduced himself for remedy, and the preliminary plan was solely a short-term quick. But after it started, the affected person gave the impression to be sustaining good well being and “was keen to achieve his ‘ideal’ weight,” so the quick continued, despite the fact that fasts over 40 days are thought of harmful.

During the quick, Barbieri lived at dwelling and went to the hospital for frequent checkups. He reportedly solely consumed nutritional vitamins, dietary supplements, and non-caloric fluids. He solely defecated as soon as each 37 to 48 days.

Barbieri took dietary supplements that supplied potassium, sodium, and yeast. He drank solely “non-caloric fluids” together with glowing water, espresso, and tea.

The doctors’ report on the case famous that there have been a number of well-documented examples of individuals dying when making an attempt to starve themselves to shed some pounds. For instance, two individuals died from coronary heart failure, one died from small bowel obstruction, and two died through the “re-feeding period” after they’d completed fasting.

So, medical doctors monitored Barbieri’s well being with common blood assessments, however he appeared to remain wholesome. At one level through the quick, medical doctors discovered Barbieri had low blood sugar ranges, however he confirmed no signs and felt effectively.

Barbieri was in a position to go a 12 months with out meals as a result of the human physique has developed to stay off of physique fats when meals is scarce.

When fasting for greater than two or three days, the physique begins getting most of its power from breaking down fats, in addition to some from breaking down muscle tissue (though that may be prevented by way of resistance coaching). Eventually, the physique will get all of its power from physique fats. It breaks it down and converts it into glucose and ketones that the physique can run on. However, there are some important nutritional vitamins and vitamins that your physique can’t produce, which is why Barbieri was given dietary supplements.

There have been different instances of individuals surviving lengthy durations with out meals, actually because they have been on starvation strikes. In 1973, a person in jail reportedly went on starvation strike for 385 days as a result of he claimed he was harmless. He was finally force-fed utilizing a feeding tube.

The quick lasted 382 days, and Barbieri misplaced 276 kilos. That introduced him right down to his superb weight of 180 kilos. During the following 5 years, Barbieri solely gained again about 16 kilos.

Today, medical doctors say the year-long quick was irresponsible as a result of it put the affected person’s welfare in danger. But on the time, medical doctors concluded that “supervised therapeutic hunger of the overweight affected person generally is a secure remedy.” But they warned that “prolonged hunger remedy” needs to be used with warning. The doctors’ report additionally thanked Barbieri for “his cheerful co-operation and steadfast software to the duty of attaining a traditional physique.”

At the tip of his quick, Barbieri mentioned, “other than feeling a wee bit weak, I really feel no sick results.” He additionally mentioned that he had forgotten what meals tasted like. For his first meal after the quick, he ate a boiled egg, a slice of buttered bread, and a cup of espresso. He advised a newspaper reporter, “I totally loved my egg and I really feel very full.”

[Sources: 1,2,3,4]