# Man lives for 70 years without water and food **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856 "2010-04-30T13:17:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/1 "2010-04-30T13:17:06Z")
…A team of doctors in western India is carrying out a study on a hermit who _ **claims** _ to have survived without food and water for 70 years. The holy man claims that he derives energy through meditation. from [BBC.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8652837.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/2 "2010-04-30T13:22:14Z")
“Miracle man, or medical mystery?” How about bullshit? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/3 "2010-04-30T13:27:54Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > How about bullshit? So this is connected to the cow anus mystery, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/4 "2010-04-30T14:49:31Z")
I remember this [the last time](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/24/1069522519351.html) it came around. Don’t think there’s anything new. I could have sworn there was some discussion on it then, too, but I can’t find any posts. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/5 "2010-04-30T15:16:08Z")
Hell I can’t go 70 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/6 "2010-04-30T15:43:16Z")
The Breatharians will send you their philosophy on how to do this if you join them. I suspect there’s an enormous number of backsliders, though. > **[Wiley Brooks, Breatharian Homepage Breatharian.com](https://www.breatharian.com/)** > > Breatharian, Breatharianisn, Wiley Brooks, Breatharian featured on Thats Incredible, Father of Breatharianism, Initiator of the Breatharian Movement > **[Inedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia)** > > Reportedly haunted locations: > Inedia (Latin for 'fasting') or breatharianism (/brɛˈθɛəriənɪzəm/) is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. It is a pseudoscientific practice and several adherents of these practices have died from starvation or dehydration as not having followed security guidelines (especially forcing change too fast). A good basic health is one of the pre-requisites taught by experts in the field. Multiple cases where this prac... ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/7 "2010-04-30T16:27:27Z")
Yeah right. Sounds like the gurus that can “[levitate](http://www.weirdasianews.com/2008/08/31/secret-behind-indian-guru-levitation-revealed/).” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/8 "2010-04-30T16:40:22Z")
Nothing like that, but one time I was lead to fast for IIRC 4 days, unlike other fasts that I have done, I was not hungry, and felt periods where my need for nutrition was being met supernaturally. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/9 "2010-04-30T16:43:19Z")
:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/10 "2010-04-30T17:03:25Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > “Miracle man, or medical mystery?” > > How about bullshit? Bingo. The “team” that’s studying the guy needs to include a few professional magicians. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/11 "2010-04-30T17:11:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Breatharians will send you their philosophy on how to do this if you join them. > I suspect there’s an enormous number of backsliders, though. > [http://www.breatharian.com/](http://www.breatharian.com/) > > [Inedia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia) Or better yet, how about _The Skeptic’s Dictionnary_ : [http://www.skepdic.com/inedia.html](http://www.skepdic.com/inedia.html) ? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/12 "2010-04-30T17:34:25Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Nothing like that, but one time I was lead to fast for IIRC 4 days, unlike other fasts that I have done, I was not hungry, and felt periods where my need for nutrition was being met supernaturally. People who are getting hypothermia often feel a sense of warmth, leading to [Parodoxical undressing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothermia#Paradoxical_undressing) Just because they _feel_ warm does not mean they _are_ warm. They are cold, and die soon after. The same sort of physiological response is likely true for your “feeling” that your need for nutrition was being met, while in fact your body was starving to death. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/13 "2010-04-30T18:54:08Z")
It makes perfect sense to me from a survival aspect. If you go without food for 3 days, do you want your body to basically shut down? Or do you want a feeling of temporary well-being, so you can get out there and I don’t know, find some food? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/14 "2010-04-30T20:44:48Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > People who are getting hypothermia often feel a sense of warmth, leading to [Parodoxical undressing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothermia#Paradoxical_undressing) > > Just because they _feel_ warm does not mean they _are_ warm. They are cold, and die soon after. > > The same sort of physiological response is likely true for your “feeling” that your need for nutrition was being met, while in fact your body was starving to death. True, of course. That said, though, someone with normal reserves of body fat should not be in the least danger of starving to death in four days, by an order of magnitude or so. Admittedly, I doubt it would be considered medically advisable to subject yourself to such privations on a regular basis; and generalising from four days to seventy years would be… hasty. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/15 "2010-04-30T22:45:18Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > True, of course. That said, though, someone with normal reserves of body fat should not be in the least danger of starving to death in four days, by an order of magnitude or so. Admittedly, I doubt it would be considered medically advisable to subject yourself to such privations on a regular basis; and generalising from four days to seventy years would be… hasty. 🙂 I say we withhold judgement until we see what the guy looked like 70 years ago. Maybe he was ten thousand pounds and has just been slimming down. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/16 "2010-04-30T23:19:20Z")
Should be a short study–put him under close observation for three days or so. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_E.Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c67d28/32.png) [@Earl\_E.Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_E.Bird)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/17 "2010-05-01T14:10:10Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > [http://www.breatharian.com/](http://www.breatharian.com/) > > [Inedia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia) Thanks, I needed a good laugh. > [@](#): > > She claims that her DNA has expanded from 2 to 12 strands, to “absorb more hydrogen”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/18 "2010-05-01T14:17:14Z")
Atypical answers: He has multiple personalities, and one of the other parts is doing the eating and he doesn’t know it. He takes Ambien-one of the reactions is sleep walking and some people have been known to eat (and even drive cars) after taking it. Most likely: fake ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/19 "2010-05-01T15:51:31Z")
Rarely can one use the term “an insult to the intelligence” with more feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856/20 "2010-05-01T17:22:08Z")
> [@](#): > > I say we withhold judgement until we see what the guy looked like 70 years ago. Maybe he was ten thousand pounds and has just been slimming down. This wins the thread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-lives-for-70-years-without-water-and-food/537856.md?page=2)