# Who last longer in a starving senario? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709 "2023-06-18T01:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/1 "2023-06-18T01:52:05Z")
Watching a movie where survivors of a plane crash are on life rafts for more then 30 days. (Broken) Little food and water. In a scenario like this who would survive longer without food, a fat person or a skinny one? I’m assuming the heavier person would because they have more reserved the body can draw from. But maybe the skinny guy would care better. I really am curious. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/2 "2023-06-18T02:10:34Z")
The skinny person. They have a bigger food supply. Mmmm, cannibalism… ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/3 "2023-06-18T02:42:17Z")
In most starvation scenarios, the real answer is whoever has the most muscle. Protein reserves usually fuel survival activities. But in the lifeboat scenario i think it would go to the fat person, because fat cells release water when they are used. So that should buy a few hours or a couple of days for the overweight person. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/4 "2023-06-18T05:07:32Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > The skinny person. They have a bigger food supply. > > Mmmm, cannibalism… _There is no cannibalism in the Royal Navy!_ ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/5 "2023-06-18T12:12:59Z")
“little food and water” The critical issue here is water. Anyone remember hearing about Bobby Sands: Sands died on 5 May 1981 in the Maze’s prison hospital after 66 days on hunger strike, aged 27. > **[Bobby Sands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands)** > > Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh; 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was a member (and leader in the Maze prison) of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze in Northern Ireland. Sands helped to plan the 1976 Balmoral Furniture Company bombing in Dunmurry, which was followed by a gun battle with the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Sands was arrested while trying to escape and sentenced to 14 years for firearms pos H... Conversely a few days without water will leave you dead. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/6 "2023-06-18T13:53:40Z")
The longest known fast was just over a year, 382 days, although under close medical supervision, back in 1965. A guy named Angus (really) Barbieri drank only water and electrolytes, vitamins, losing several hundred pounds. I thought it “interesting” that he averaged a bowel movement only once every month or so. In strict terms of fat or calorie stores alone, clearly the obese individual has the skinny person beat. With a sudden or an involuntary long survival situation maybe there are some complications. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/7 "2023-06-18T18:17:44Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > > [@Dissonance](#): > > > > The skinny person. They have a bigger food supply. > > > > Mmmm, cannibalism… > > _There is no cannibalism in the Royal Navy!_ As a naval officer I abhor the implication that the Royal Navy is a haven for cannibalism. It is well known that we now have the problem relatively under control, and that it is the RAF who now suffer the largest casualties in this area. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/8 "2023-06-24T16:38:30Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > In strict terms of fat or calorie stores alone, clearly the obese individual has the skinny person beat. Assume water is adequate. The complicating factor is in the circumstance of having to move. Say walking somewhere. The obese individual is also burning more calories moving that mass and some of that will come from fat free mass stores. Get low enough on skeletal muscle stores and you break down organ tissue including heart muscle. It may be that the obese person drives down skeletal muscle to that point sooner by more calories out even though they have more calories stored. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/9 "2023-06-25T09:59:19Z")
True. But in the OPs scenario they are just sitting in a lifeboat. If we assume adequate water, then the obese person still wins. An obese person who is at all mobile probably has substantially more protein reserves than a “skinny” person. The OP does not say “fit.” It’s easy to forget that being obese is like spending your whole day with a 100lb weight vest on. Your legs will have more lifting power than a skinny person does. So in terms of reserves, i think obese still wins. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709/10 "2023-06-25T18:01:45Z")
Fair points made.