04:26
Apr 24, 2021
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'The longest ever fast was one of 382 days during which time this gentleman from the UK, Angus Barbieri only consumed tea, black coffee, water, nutritional yeast, electrolytes and vitamins. In 1965, he was 26 years old and weighed 207kg. He was living in Tayport, on the south side of the river Tay, near Dundee and working at his father’s fish and chip shop. Due to his obesity, he went to the Maryfield Hospital in nearby Dundee and it would appear that a fast was suggested, and if this was on medical advice, it was something very progressive for the time. Indeed it would be very progressive for today, given that the advise given by the British National Health Service for obesity seems to be to eat fewer pies and drink less beer. Initially Angus was kept in the hospital but later he went home and visited the hospital regularly for a check up. His doctor did not want the fast to go on very long but Angus kept on prolonging it and as there were no side effects this was permitted. He quit the job and unfortunately his father went out of business. During the fast, he continued to urinate as normal and the hospital took samples which it analysed. However once into the fast, he defecated only once every 38 – 47 days. On 11 July 1966 he broke his fast as can be seen in this photograph with a couple of pieces of bread and a boiled egg which he said he thoroughly enjoyed. He then weighed 82kg. In 1971 he weighed 89kg. I believe that his weight problems returned and given that the advice in the 1980s was not to eat fat, this would have compounded any problems that he might have had. Apparently he never really regained a taste for food. Angus died on 7 September 1990 at the age of 51. I have been unable to locate the death certificate so I do not know the cause of death. Fifty one however is very young. I practice something called intermittent fasting, that is where we go without food for periods from 16 hours which once you start doing it is not as difficult as it sounds. The trick is to eat a lot of fat. Within ten weeks, my weight fell from around 80kg to around 70kg and two years later I have maintained this weight. I believe that the evidence shows that fasting is healthy but within reason. What Angus did was a gross exaggeration and people have died from prolonged fasting lasting months. There have been hunger strikes which have lasted longer than Angus’s fast but that also involved force feeding. To return to Angus, I have posted below a link to a medical journal which outlines his case and you can read the study and find out about the contents of his urine, when he got electrolytes and more. However, Angus sometimes put milk in his coffee and even was known to put in sugar. I understand why he was taking nutritional yeast which is for the B vitamins but this together with the milk and sugar would mean that in my opinion he was no longer fasting as they provoke an insulin response. However both the hospital and the Guiness Book of Records do not share my opinion. More information : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/pdf/postmedj00315-0056.pdf'
Tags: fast , fasting , dundee , Angus Barbieri
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