In 1973, the Postgraduate Medical Journal documented a case that revolutionized the perception of human limits in the fast and the weightloss. Angus Barbieria 27-year-old Scottish citizen, managed to lose 125 kilograms after undergoing a supervised fasting of 382 days.
Starting his feat with a weight of 207 kilogramsBarbieri demonstrated exceptional willpower and determination by Restrict your diet to vitamins, electrolytes, yeast, black coffee, soda water and tea.
This experiment took place in Dundee Royal Infirmary, Scotlandwhere Barbieri was under constant medical supervision to ensure that the extreme fast would not have adverse consequences for his health. The intention was to allow Your body will use fat reserves for energy, avoiding the consumption of solid foods.
The process was full of challenges, including the battle against hypoglycemia and the need for a drastic change in lifestyle, to the point of moving away from your work and social life to avoid temptations.
Although his initial goal was to lose 81 kilograms, Barbieri far exceeded this figure. His experience served not only to test his resilience, but also to offer insights into the physiology of prolonged fasting. Doctors emphasize that, while Barbieri’s case is fascinating, the prolonged fast should be approached with extreme caution and always under medical supervision.
This challenge carried out by the Scottish citizen, characterized by an extraordinary physical change, highlights the possible extremes to which the human body can go in extreme situations, as long as they are managed under correct medical care.
Her case also opens a dialogue about weight loss practices, reminding the medical community and the general public about the importance of approaching health and wellness responsibly. And although Angus Barbieri died in 1990the circumstances of his death remain unclear, adding a mystery to his already extraordinary story.
There is different types of fasts: dry, 12, 14, 16 or 24 hours, but the one that is most talked about, because several celebrities do it, is 16/8, that is, 16 hours of fasting and eight hours of feeding, which according to specialists should be healthy and balanced.
“What is known is that staying free of food for a few hours induces a digestive restand it also helps to have more perception of when one eats out of habit and when out of real hunger,” he explained to Infobae. the graduate in Nutrition and specialist in nutrigenomics María Cecilia Ponce (MN 3362), who expanded: “It is a practice that can be started with certain patients who seek to go a little further, not only restrict calories for reasons of weight, If not, what is going to be intended with the extension of fasting is to induce certain organic processes that repair and detoxify the cells.”
“What happens is that from 2/4 p.m. certain processes of what are called autophagy, which is like cellular ‘recycling’ where the cell is cleaned and can function more correctly again; It is a process that occurs in our body all the time, but giving it a digestive rest, that is, giving the body that space to detoxify and repair itself, is necessary for it to function correctly.”
According to the specialist, “when a person is not consuming any food (no proteins, no glucose, no carbohydrates, no fats) the levels begin to decrease. insulin levels, which somehow favors organic and metabolic processes of detoxification and cellular repair.” Thus, by reducing sugar levels (because you are not consuming any food) “better insulin sensitivity, autophagy and cell regeneration are generated in the long term, which prevents premature aging.”
Also, added the expert, “after those hours the oxidation of fatty acids begins to become evident, more fat begins to be burned and could be a factor in reducing body adipose tissue. In addition, by facilitating this digestive rest, less is produced. intestinal inflammation and the expression of some genes related to longevity is promoted – after 16 hours – which begin to be expressed more correctly.”
A scientific article presented at the end of 2022 in the publication Journal of the American Heart Association He pointed out that limiting the hours in which food is eaten does not contribute to weight loss. This study looked at 547 individuals and concluded that the interval between their first meal and their last, based on when they woke up or went to bed, had no impact on their weight.
What really had an effect was the amount of food they consumed: those who ate larger or moderate portions were more likely to gain weight, while those who ate less were more likely to lose it.
