Starving bodies can recycle their own proteins for energy
When the stomach goes empty, the liver burns through its sugar reserves in just twenty-four hours, forcing the body to begin scavenging its own tissues for fuel.
After the first three days without food, the human body undergoes a radical metabolic shift to protect its most vital organs. While the brain usually demands a constant stream of glucose, it eventually learns to run on ketones, a specialized fuel created from breaking down body fat. To prevent the heart and lungs from wasting away, the body initiates a process called autophagy, which acts like a cellular recycling program. It systematically harvests old or damaged proteins from across the body and repurposes them for energy at a rate of roughly one percent per day.
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