Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
My minister in college, Rev. Kenneth Tuttle was one of the people studied in this study. When I knew him in the sixties he was fat.
The Biology of Human Starvation
Ancel Keys 1950
Thirty-six subjects who were intelligent, psychologically sound, and physically healthy
were put on diets of about half their usual caloric intake (amounts of conservative
restriction for obesity treatment) for 6 months after being observed eating normally for
the previous 3 months
Physical Changes
Decreased heart volume
Slowed pulse rate
BMR reduced by 40%
Voluntary movements became slower
Subjects felt older and behaved older
Personality Changes
Increase in apathy and depression
Sensitivity to noise
General feeling of ineffectiveness
Loss of ambition and narrowing of interests
Increased neuroticism and hysteria (often seen as a womans problems)
Almost 20% of subjects showed severe character neuroses
Two subjects bordered on psychoses including violence and hysteria
Food Preoccupation
Increased interest and preoccupation with food (talking, preparing, etc)
Heightened craving for food
Food dislikes disappeared
Became possessive about food
Increased gum chewing, smoking, drinking of coffee and tea, and nail biting
Purchased useless items and/or hoarded money
Some escaped and binged with feelings of guilt (some followed by vomiting)
Social Activities
Responsiveness, tolerance, happiness, and good humor gradually disappeared
what humor remained was sarcastic
Reluctance to participate in group activities
Self-centered and egocentric
Food central topic of conversation
Not able to control emotions
Effects of Refeeding
Allowed limited access 1,877 to 4,158 kcal
Still overly concerned with food
Many became even more irritable and depressed and augmentative
Slump in morale lost interest in earlier humanitarian interests
Thirst increased
Hunger pains more intense
Appetites insatiable even on the highest caloric levels
Continued to eat even when stuffed
Gained fat tissue rapidly
Lean tissue recovered more slowly
Sleepiness and headaches increased for some
Allowed free access to food at week 13
Ate an average of 5,212 kcal
Ate nearly continuously then slept or ate
By week 15 increase of social behavior at meals
By week 20 all felt nearly normal with food
By week 33 10 of 14 were eating normal amounts
Slowly humor sociability returned.
The subjects were all college aged men
The Biology of Human Starvation
Ancel Keys 1950
Thirty-six subjects who were intelligent, psychologically sound, and physically healthy
were put on diets of about half their usual caloric intake (amounts of conservative
restriction for obesity treatment) for 6 months after being observed eating normally for
the previous 3 months
Physical Changes
Decreased heart volume
Slowed pulse rate
BMR reduced by 40%
Voluntary movements became slower
Subjects felt older and behaved older
Personality Changes
Increase in apathy and depression
Sensitivity to noise
General feeling of ineffectiveness
Loss of ambition and narrowing of interests
Increased neuroticism and hysteria (often seen as a womans problems)
Almost 20% of subjects showed severe character neuroses
Two subjects bordered on psychoses including violence and hysteria
Food Preoccupation
Increased interest and preoccupation with food (talking, preparing, etc)
Heightened craving for food
Food dislikes disappeared
Became possessive about food
Increased gum chewing, smoking, drinking of coffee and tea, and nail biting
Purchased useless items and/or hoarded money
Some escaped and binged with feelings of guilt (some followed by vomiting)
Social Activities
Responsiveness, tolerance, happiness, and good humor gradually disappeared
what humor remained was sarcastic
Reluctance to participate in group activities
Self-centered and egocentric
Food central topic of conversation
Not able to control emotions
Effects of Refeeding
Allowed limited access 1,877 to 4,158 kcal
Still overly concerned with food
Many became even more irritable and depressed and augmentative
Slump in morale lost interest in earlier humanitarian interests
Thirst increased
Hunger pains more intense
Appetites insatiable even on the highest caloric levels
Continued to eat even when stuffed
Gained fat tissue rapidly
Lean tissue recovered more slowly
Sleepiness and headaches increased for some
Allowed free access to food at week 13
Ate an average of 5,212 kcal
Ate nearly continuously then slept or ate
By week 15 increase of social behavior at meals
By week 20 all felt nearly normal with food
By week 33 10 of 14 were eating normal amounts
Slowly humor sociability returned.
The subjects were all college aged men
