How long can you go without food?

Question

I was having an argument with my boyfriend. He seems to think that you couldn't last even to two weeks without food. I thought I'd remembered hearing somewhere that it was 28 days though.
Anyone know how long you can go without food before you die? (I know it's not an exact thing)

Answer 1

Generally the rule of threes applies

3 minutes without air
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

However, a person in relatively good health, with plenty of liquids could potentially live an additional week or two, assuming theyare not engaged in physical activity.

And conversely, a person who is already in poor health, or is doing excessive exertion daily while not eating will likely not last as long.

Answer 2

Just like you said it varies. On Sept. 2003 David Blaine (the magician) performed a stunt in London and he was enclosed in a glass box and went 44 days without food, only liquid. Obviously without water he would not last that long. So yes it varies. So he already proved that you can go longer than 40 days. He went to the hospital right away and he had some minor complications after the stunt.

Answer 3

I'm going to through everyone into a spin on this one. Research during WW2 with Navy pilots shot down over the Pacific on more than one occasion went many weeks without food. These pilots were in good shape to start with, remember.
One group of three men went 120 days for a record of getting several seagulls, various flying fish that landed in their raft and using lines to catch an occasional fish.
Viet Nam prisoners of war were not fed by most captors. Some ate minnows whole out of streams, some lived on beetles and other larva they caught while sorry to say, those that refused to eat these died of malnutrition.

We can go days without liquid but weeks, or months if necessary without food. Of course 120 days is on the outside, one man weighted 65 pounds but lived.

Answer 4

The normal human body can gop without food from 10 days to 2 weeks, as long as there is a viable water supply around.

Answer 5

About 1 week without food, and 3 days without water.

Answer 6

You can actually live more than 28 days without food but a few days without water.

Answer 7

I'm not POSITIVE but I think you can last 2 weeks without food but only 4 days without water. Not postive, though.

Answer 8

3 days

Answer 9

1 week without food, 3 days without water.. the 40 day figure was comes from some guy just a couple weeks ago that claims he fasted for 40 days, of course nobody witnessed the event, he only says it was 40 days. Science pretty bunks that figure.

Answer 10

1 week without food but still drinking water. 3 days only without food and water. It is pretty exact, actually.