# How long could a person live on nothing but water and sugar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866 "2008-09-16T18:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/21 "2008-09-17T02:07:21Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Incidentally I read that you can survive on bread, orange juice and bananas. Can’t find it know, but some dietitians made a study that concluded that could survive on NY Pizza (which I think meant with all the toppings). The only detail is that you needed a ridiculous amount of pizza to get all your nutrients and that would mean a lot of exercise to avoid obesity. That said, bread, OJ, bananas and pizza are not normally the stuff you have too much of on a deserted island. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/22 "2008-09-17T02:41:22Z")
Sugar water? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/23 "2008-09-17T03:12:54Z")
> [@CaerieD](#): > > As near as I can tell, not even the fruit flavors of Lifesavers have any vitamin C in them. Every search I’ve done for the nutritional value of any fruity Lifesavers has come up with no listing for vitamin C whatsoever, like so. Right, quite a few hard fruit-flavored candies have Vit C, but Lifesavers do not seem to be one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/24 "2008-09-17T03:36:14Z")
> [@CaerieD](#): > > As near as I can tell, not even the fruit flavors of Lifesavers have any vitamin C in them. Ahh. I was assuming that they might have ascorbic acid in them, but they seem to have citric acid instead. Oh well, scurvy here we come. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/25 "2008-09-17T17:15:51Z")
How much salt is in those Lifesavers? Either too much or too little could be a problem, after all. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/26 "2008-09-17T18:28:14Z")
I doubt salt is a problem. Candy won’t have too much salt to tolerate, and there is salty sea water around the island. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/27 "2008-09-17T21:13:12Z")
Would protein deficiency get you before scurvy? ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/28 "2008-09-17T21:44:50Z")
He shoulda filled up the boat with these: [http://www.welchs.com/products/food-and-snacks/fruit-snacks/fruit-snacks](http://www.welchs.com/products/food-and-snacks/fruit-snacks/fruit-snacks) From [healthatoz.com](http://healthatoz.com): Malnutrition Prognosis Up to 10% of a person’s body weight can be lost without side effects, but if more than 40% is lost, the situation is almost always fatal. Death usually results from heart failure, electrolyte imbalance, or low body temperature. Patients with semiconsciousness, persistent diarrhea, jaundice, or low blood sodium levels have a poorer prognosis. Some children with protein-energy malnutrition recover completely. Others have many health problems throughout life, including mental retardation and the inability to absorb nutrients through the intestinal tract. Prognosis for all patients with malnutrition seems to be dependent on the age of the patient, and the length and severity of the malnutrition, with young children and the elderly having the highest rate of long-term complications and death. But couldn’t find time until death or anything. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/29 "2008-09-17T22:08:49Z")
Wait, what do they feed people who linger years in a vegetative state? Is it something more than just a glucose drip? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/30 "2008-09-18T02:52:33Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Wait, what do they feed people who linger years in a vegetative state? Is it something more than just a glucose drip? Oh hell yeah, they get a special milkshake through a tube into the stomach. Protien, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals are all essential. I thought about protien deficency, but my google fu is weak, and all I could get are cites that pre-suppose an enegy deficency as well. Since we have an unlimited supply of carbs, that’s not much help. We will lose some protein, and menstruating dopers will lose more, but it could be awhile before we lose enough to really hurt, assuming we NEVER burn any for fuel. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/31 "2008-09-18T03:21:52Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Ahh. I was assuming that they might have ascorbic acid in them, but they seem to have citric acid instead. Oh well, scurvy here we come. 🙂 Same thing, differentiated by chirality. Citric acid is the levo version of ascorbic acid. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/32 "2008-09-18T21:13:10Z")
> [@myskepticsight](#): > > Up to 10% of a person’s body weight can be lost without side effects, but if more than 40% is lost, the situation is almost always fatal. Is this for a normal person and not for, say, somebody who weighs 400 pounds? ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866/33 "2008-09-18T21:16:25Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > Is this for a normal person and not for, say, somebody who weighs 400 pounds? It has to be. I can only use a scale as a cite, but I’ve lost around 58 percent of my own body weight. I guarantee it’s not fatal. In fact, I didn’t even lose hair like many people who go through such a change do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sugar/463866.md?page=1)