What happens to your body when you stop eating

Starvation can impact bone density and heart function

Starvation can eventually kill a person (Getty Images)

No living thing can survive without some form of sustenance – be it a plant or your cat.

So, what would happen if a person stopped eating?

Incredibly, it is possible to survive for between 3 weeks to 70 days without eating.

But the impact is devastating, as the body uses all of its glucose, fat and muscle for energy.

The effects of starvation are explained in the video below by the YouTube channel Asap Science.

The body continues as normal 6 hours after you eat as it has sufficient levels of glycogen to convert into glucose. However, between six and 72-hours after eating, brain function becomes impaired.

As time passes, bone density will suffer, as will a person’s libido. Women will eventually stop menstruating as the body attempts to save energy.

Gradually, the muscles weaken and the heart, too, wastes away. This is why it is common for those with anorexia to die of a heart attack.

Asap Science created the video in order to raise awareness about worldwide hunger caused by poverty.

A recent UN report found that one in nine people do not have enough food to lead a healthy life.

In the world’s poorest areas, excessively low body weight is a serious public health concern, according to the research by Imperial College London for the UN World Food Programme.