NEW YORK–Scientists at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolic Research have completed a three year federal study which suggests a causal link between starvation and death in two controlled experiments. The twenty million dollar inquiry began in 2016 and has concluded that a caloric intake of zero will lead to a failure of vital functions over time.
“It was interesting research,” said Dr. Jerry Wagner, head of the institute’s research team. “Prior to this study we knew calorie restriction could lead to weight loss, but we did not know if it specifically caused death or was simply a contributing factor.”
Researchers had posited that dysfunctional metabolism, and not calories, might be the stronger link between starvation and death.
“Some people can eat almost nothing and gain weight, while others can eat to excess and remain thin. We wanted to know if there was a baseline metabolic sustainability possible in the absence of food,” said Dr. Wagner.
Furthermore, the team questioned whether the human body could compensate for a lack of food by extracting energy from other sources:
“The human body is still something of a mystery. Our research was very much centered around the endocrine system and the possibility that it could extract energy from non-food sources. In the end we found no evidence for this.”
Jerry Wagner, Chief Scientific Officer at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolic Research in New York
The team concluded that starvation does eventually lead to death in 100% of cases but warns the issue isn’t settled.
“I’d like more funds,” said Dr. Wagner, “to study these effects in different environments with more control groups. This was not a statistically significant sample.”
The team will release its findings in detail next month at the Convention of Science and Medicine in Copenhagen.
