This fact sheet outlines starvation syndrome and its symptoms, Ancel Keys Semi Starvation study.

The Effects of Starvation

The Minnesota Experiment was a landmark study conducted between November 1944 and December 1945 in the United States by Ancel Keys, a professor of physiology at the University of Minnesota and a consultant to the War Department. He wanted to study the effects of starvation and find the best way to provide post-war rehabilitation to people who had experienced severe deprivation and emaciation during the war.

This study observed the physical, psychological, and behavioural effects of starvation on healthy men by studying them under normal conditions, subjecting them to semi-starvation, and then following them through rehabilitation. The participants were young, physically, and psychologically healthy men who were World War II conscientious objectors.

(Keys et al, 1950)

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

Out of 400 applications, 36 young (20–33-year-old) physically and psychologically healthy men were selected.

Throughout the study, researchers measured and tracked in detail physical and psychological information, such as body weight, size, strength, basic functions, behaviour, personality, and eating patterns.

Stages of the experiment

What are the effects of starvation?

The men reported experiencing a wide range of changes; physically, psychologically, socially and behaviourally as a result of being in semi-starvation. Below are some of the symptoms that can be experienced as a result of being in a state semi-starvation.

• Physical changes – reduced energy, reduced need for sleep, dizziness, headaches, hypersensitivity to noise and light, GI discomfort, cold hands/feet and hair loss
• Psychological changes – Increased mood fluctuations, intense and negative emotional reactions, decreased enthusiasm, increased irritability, low libido, reduced motivation and impaired concentration, problem solving and comprehension
• Behaviours related to food – Unusual food routines and rituals, binge eating, becoming obsessed with food (cooking, reading and talking about food)
• Attitudes related to food – Preoccupation with food, feeling anxious about meal times and food rations.
• Social changes – Feeling more critical of others and more introverted

Key points

The Ancel Keys Minnesota Experiment demonstrated that starvation dramatically affects the mind and the body. Starvation can lead to serious psychological and physical complications which affect nearly all areas of functioning including attitudes and behaviour related to food/eating, emotional and personality changes, social and sexual changes and some physical changes.

Renourishment Phase

• In the renourishment phase the participants were assigned to 2000 kcal (8400 kJ), 2400 kcal (10000 kJ), 2800 kcal (11800 kJ), or 3200 kcal (13400 kJ) per day
• It was found that those in lower energy intake groups were not recovering and so the energy prescription was increased by an additional 800 kcal (3300 kJ) per day in all groups
• It was found that 4000 kcal (16700 kJ) per day was needed to rebuild their strength
• During the 12-week rehabilitation stage, most of the changes in attitudes and behaviours continued
• After about 5 months of rehabilitation, the majority of the men reported some normalisation of their eating patterns
• The emotional difficulties did not immediately reverse themselves during rehabilitation. It was therefore assumed the abnormalities were related more to body weight than to short-term calorie intake
• During rehabilitation, sexual interest was slow to return. Even after 3 months the men judged themselves to be far from normal in this area. However, after 8 months of renourishment, virtually all of the men had recovered their interest in sex
• During rehabilitation metabolism again sped up to normal levels
• Those subjects who gained the most weight became concerned about their increased sluggishness, general flabbiness, and the tendency of fat to accumulate in the abdomen and buttocks
• On average they gained back their original weight plus about 10%. Then, over the next 6 months, their weight gradually declined. By the end of the follow-up period, they were approaching their pre-experiment weight

(Kalm & Sember, 2005)

Relevance to working with individuals with disordered eating patterns

The Starvation Syndrome, or features of it, can be triggered by any significant energy deficit brought about by restriction, purging or excessive exercise. This means that even if a person appears to have an adequate caloric intake, or appears to be within or above a healthy weight range, they can still experience the symptoms of starvation.

The symptoms are often attributed to other causes, rather than being correctly attributed to the result of a significant calorie deficit. Psychoeducation about the effects of starvation is an important part of engagement and treatment. These symptoms, which affect the person’s quality of life, can often be used as a motivating factor to support increasing calorie intake or reducing purging behaviours.