Answer to Question #176142 in Biochemistry for linta

Question

 1. Comment “Fatty acids are storage fuels”. The weight of a person ABC is 65 kg. About 11.5 kg of his weight is due to the fat deposits in the body. He went for a hunger strike. Can you explain how long he can survive? i. without water and food? ii. without food but with water? 

Answer 1

i) 8 to 21 days without food and water.Fats are broken down into glycerol and free fatty acids, with the glycerol being turned into glucose in the liver via the gluconeogenesis pathway. When even the glucose made from glycerol reserves start declining, the liver starts producing ketone bodies.

ii) For total starvation in healthy individuals receiving adequate hydration, reliable data on survival are hard to obtain.