The Minnesota Starvation Experiment–The Lost Files!: Implications on Modern Health and Dieting

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This document details the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, a remarkable six-month semi-starvation study conducted in 1945 involving 34 conscientious objectors from World War II. Nearly 80 years later, its findings offer invaluable insights into the physiological and psychological effects of severe caloric restriction, providing a unique perspective before the influence of modern dieting trends and technology.

The study meticulously documented the subjects’ physical and mental responses to a drastically reduced caloric intake (approximately 1500 calories daily), revealing unexpected consequences such as advanced tissue degradation, strikingly low heart rates, obsessive preoccupation with food, and significant mental health impacts (ranging from apathy and depression to irritability and anxiety). The stark contrast between this experiment’s controlled setting and the uncontrolled conditions of real-world famine provides crucial context for understanding the complex interplay of physical and mental well-being during severe starvation. The study’s findings emphasize the need for caution when applying data from modern dieting studies to extreme caloric restriction scenarios. This compelling report also includes detailed dietary data, numerical results from numerous tests and measurements, and an overview of the study’s organization and participants.