Very fat people have been known to go 1-2 years w/o any food, but they still drink lots of water. Some people on calorie-restricted diets may be able to get their metabolism down to perhaps 500-600 kcal/day, but they still drink water. Fat produces something like net 3500-4000 kcal per pound, so even a little goes a long way. "Burning" fat produces some water, so you need to drink a bit less. Interestingly, most of the vitamins that an adult needs are required not for merely surviving, but for digesting the food he/she eats. If you aren't eating, you don't need much in the way of external vitamins. Migrating birds apparently don't eat or drink at all, but provide for most of their caloric needs through fat metabolism. You try flying 30mph for 3000 miles w/o a break! This is why these birds start out with so much fat in them. While fat provides most of the energy, they still break down some muscle & get perhaps 5-8% of their energy from muscle, so the strenuous activity can't go on too long. Bottom line: no water -- you die quite quickly. But eat even a little fat every few days & you can go on for a very, very long time if you spend your time meditating. At 03:56 AM 5/1/2010, Simon Plouffe wrote:

Hello,

There is this news about a man found in India that claims he has not eaten or drink for the past 70 years.

He is now under strict medical attention.

http://www.tdg.ch/loisirs/buzz/70-ans-boire-mager-2010-04-30 (the video is in english),

But ? as far as I know, we need 10 million joules to move around, so how can this be possible. Ok, the guy does not move much since he does a lot of yoga and has a very strange look.

I am skeptic. Strictly speaking how can he has any energy at all even if he does not do extreme sport ? In terms of physics, this is plain impossible, isn't ?

10^6 joules per day for 70 years = 2.5 x 10^10 joules. ...!!!

Does anybody has any idea now the body can be alive for so long without any source of food or water ?

Best regards,

Simon Plouffe