Should We Really Believe the Starving Yogi?

Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old Indian yogi, says he hasn't eaten for the past 70 years,not one calorie to eat and not one drop of liquid to drink. To test his claims, Indian military doctors put him under round-the-clock observation during a two-week hospital stay that ended last week, news reports say. During that time he didn’t ingest any food or water – and remained perfectly healthy, the researchers said. Amazing, the longest I've stayed without putting a thing in my mouth was 3 hours, I was on hunger strike which didn't actually go as planned coz some smart arse made lasagna, but how in the world did this guy go for 70 years!!! He's pulling a fast one on us guys!!


Dr. Michael Van Rooyen an emergency physician at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and associate professor at the medical school, and the director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, who like me is skeptical on the whole 70 year starvation story, he  says that depending on climate conditions like temperature and humidity, a human could survive five or six days without water,( Except me of corz, my survival rate without food, water or chocolate beans is approxiamately 12 hours and I kick the bucket) maybe a day or two longer in extraordinary circumstances. We can go much longer without food, even up to three months if that person is taking liquids fortified with vitamins and electrolytes.

The Yogi himself

Bobby Sands, an Irish Republican convicted of firearms possession and imprisoned by the British, died in 1981 on the 66th day of his hunger strike. Gandhi was also known to go long stretches without food, including a 21-day hunger strike in 1932.
Jani, dubbed "the starving yogi" by some, did have limited contact with water while gargling and periodically bathing, reported the news wire service AFP. While researchers said they measured what he spit out, Van Rooyen said he's clearly getting fluid somehow.
 The effects of food and water deprivation are profound, Van Rooyen explained. “Ultimately, instead of metabolizing sugar and glycogen [the body’s energy sources] you start to metabolize fat and then cause muscle breakdown. Without food, your body chemistry changes. Profoundly malnourished people autodigest, they consume their own body’s resources. You get liver failure, tachycardia, heart strain. You fall apart.” Excellent explanantion Mr. scientist sir!

On other news, Here's me 12 hours without food