1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you should know? 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: From house Stuff Works dot Com? Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh. There's Chuck. This is stuff you 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: should know. Welcome, Welcome. How you doing the invenue? So, Chuck? Yes, 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: I just um, I just drank a coke and I 7 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: also ate some chips and salsa, nice, and I it 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: was all on an empty stomach, so I feel like 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna vomit. Three of the four food groups right 10 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: cover right, So, yeah, you've got corn in the chips, 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: You've got tomato onion, God knows what else is cilantro 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: in cilantro? I'm sure is that a food group? So 13 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: you've got all this stuff in the salts and the 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: chips and and then whatever's in the coke, right, um, 15 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: And all of it came to me and into my 16 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: stomach because I am a member of the wealthiest nation 17 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: on the planet. Okay, Yeah, do you want me to 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: get to the bottom of this? Yeah, I kind of 19 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: don't know where you're going. Well, ironically, I should say 20 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: I didn't even pay for this. I found it in 21 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 1: the brake room and ate it. Okay, but I live 22 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: in America, and America's got the money to pay for food. 23 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: So food naturally finds its way to countries like the 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: United States, Western European countries, developed nations, right, it doesn't 25 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: necessarily find its way to underdeveloped nations. Okay. So you're 26 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: familiar with the carrying capacity, right, Okay, Um, well then 27 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: I'll explain to everybody else. Uh. It's an anthropological term, 28 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: and I think it may also have to do with economics. 29 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 1: But basically, a carrying capacity is the total number of humans. Uh, 30 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: something can sustain so like hunting, hunting and gathering. I 31 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: think could sustain something like several hundred million people up 32 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: to maybe two billion, I'm not sure. Uh. And right 33 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: as we were on the verge of hitting that mark, 34 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: we came up with agriculture out of the blue. Agriculture 35 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: can buy estimates, Uh, carry ten billion people. Okay, we're 36 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: coming up on that mark pretty quickly. Yeah. I think 37 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: we're supposed to hit ten billion in like or something 38 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: like that, and we may go it may go shorter, um, 39 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: depending on you know, if there's any kind of catastrophes 40 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: or major food crises or climate change. It could go 41 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: longer if we'd be if our technology advances sufficiently, like 42 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,079 Speaker 1: you know, we come up with soilent green or something 43 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: like that, right, grow from food in outer space. That's 44 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: that's where we we eat humans. Okay, that the science 45 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: fiction film you're talking about, soilent Green. Yeah, okay, So 46 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: so we may go more or less ten billion, but 47 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: ten billions usually the mark And um. This has kind 48 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: of been on the mind of some people for a while, right, Um, 49 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: especially in the in the mid to late sixties, there 50 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 1: was a food shortage and there were all sorts of 51 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: predictions coming out that you know, we were about to 52 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,799 Speaker 1: be screwed, we're in big trouble. Um. And there is 53 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: a book called um Famine nineteen seventy five with an 54 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: exclamation point or anything. Yeah, And it was an academic 55 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: book and it used an exclamation point in the title UM. 56 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: And basically in it, the author um suggests that we 57 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: need to triage essentially who gets food. So the countries 58 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: that are contributing the most to the rest of the 59 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: world through advancement and you know, um whatever, uh, they 60 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: should get the most food and basically the other countries 61 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: should be left to starve to death. It was pretty grim. 62 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: It was written in nineteen seven, and obviously no one 63 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: took that up and ran with it, of course not. 64 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: It's pretty creepy, but it seems like price mechanism kind 65 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: of has come to fulfill that same prediction. You think, yeah, 66 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: because if you look at it, if you look at 67 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: the the eu n's World Hunger Map, uh, the the 68 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: areas that are the hungriest are the areas that are 69 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: the least developed. They have the least amount of food. 70 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: And as if that weren't enough, it's all a vicious cycle. 71 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: The more hungry you are, the higher your literacy rates are, 72 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:15,839 Speaker 1: unemployment rates, all sorts of mortality rates obviously, um, so 73 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,119 Speaker 1: you can't really break your way out of it unless 74 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: somebody helps you. And the price mechanism theory, my theory 75 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: is supported by the recent food crisis we saw in 76 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: two thousand seven, right, food just dried up everywhere. Why 77 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: because fuel prices went through the roof. We got expensive 78 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: to produce and transport food, and so all of a 79 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,919 Speaker 1: sudden it didn't go the way it used to. You know, 80 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: care International there like an aid group, the Food Aid Group, 81 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: and they have a food Aid section. They actually stopped 82 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: handing out surplus food. They can't get it anymore. Yeah. 83 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: So food is pretty much a wealthy luxury, sadly enough. 84 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: And we're kind of hitting that famine nine seventy scenario 85 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: one way or another. Wow. I never thought of it 86 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: that way. Yeah, And it is tough to think about it. 87 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: And I mentioned all this because we're talking about how 88 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: long can you live without food or water? Right? Right? 89 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: So I guess my my goal was to kind of 90 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: put a human face on this, like what happens when 91 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: you live in Bangladesh or you know, Chad or somewhere 92 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: and you are starving to death and even worse, you 93 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: can't get any access to water or fresh water, at 94 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: least from from researching this, it's a horrible, horrible way 95 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: to die. Yeah, I may i may um, I may 96 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: reevaluate my dropping out of the sky in an airplane 97 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: is the worst way to die. Starving to death or 98 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: dehydration might do it for you. Right. Yeah, So let's 99 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: I mean, how long can you go without food? Say, well, 100 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: there's a general rule of threes. If you're talking about 101 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: survival experts, they call it the rule of threes. Odly enough, 102 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,799 Speaker 1: and uh, supposedly you can go and these are rough estimates, 103 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: you know, there's we'll talk about the variances later, but 104 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 1: you can go three minutes without air before you die, 105 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: three hours without shelter if you're in a really harsh environment, 106 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: three days without water, in three weeks without food, three 107 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: hours without shelter, and if you're you know, stuck in 108 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,719 Speaker 1: the freezing cold somewhere, that kind of thing. So that 109 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: that's the rule of threes. Um. There's all sorts of 110 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 1: play within that though. So if you're talking about food, 111 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: how long you go food, three weeks is actually kind 112 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,040 Speaker 1: of on target. Um. You know, you can look at 113 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:33,919 Speaker 1: political prisoners that have gone on hunger strikes. Yeah, the 114 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,239 Speaker 1: IRA in the early eighties a lot longer than three weeks. 115 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: Well they did, and you can and you know, Gandhi 116 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:43,599 Speaker 1: fasted for exactly three weeks, but he was in his 117 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 1: seventies at the time, so he wasn't in you know, 118 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: premium condition, which obviously if you're in the most fit 119 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: and the most healthy, you can go a little bit 120 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: longer than you know, someone who's grossly out of shape, 121 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,039 Speaker 1: although having an abundance of fat actually would help you 122 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: survive too. So I guess that gets this into what 123 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: happened is when you start to run out of food, 124 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 1: bringing up the fat part, because your body what it 125 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: does is it processes uh, fat, carbohydrates, and proteins as 126 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: the stored energy, right, because it keep surviving. That's energy 127 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: you need your cells need for you know, to to 128 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: perform the functions that they do right. Right. And so 129 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: if you're talking about those three things and you're starting 130 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: the process of starving to death, uh, your body is 131 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: going to burn up carbohydrates. That's the first thing that's 132 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: going to burn up, which is which is good because 133 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: carves make you fat, sure, and then uh, then it 134 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: starts to burn up your fat. Stored fat even better 135 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: than burning up carbs, right. And if you have extra 136 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: stored fat, that's why you might get less a little 137 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: bit longer. I think you're I would make it for 138 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: a while. I think we'd beat the average. I have 139 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: a few extra pounds, if that's what you're alluding to, 140 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: I said you and okay, And then after that, the 141 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: proteins start to get burned. And that's bad news because 142 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: using up proteins is basically your body itself. Your body 143 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: is kind of consumed itself in a way, so it's creepy. 144 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: That's like the maybe the structure, cellular structure, like you're 145 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: just eating your own muscles or something like that. I 146 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: don't know. It sounds pretty rotten either way. Yeah, that's 147 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: that's very rotten. Your metabolism comes into play obviously, which 148 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: is how your body converts food into energy. So if 149 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: you have a real slow metabolism, you're gonna burn your 150 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: food a slower so you'll last longer you have which 151 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 1: which will also cause you to you know, have carry 152 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: little extra weight if you have a slow metabolism, right, 153 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: But also you would be breaking down the carbohydrate slower 154 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 1: and then the fat slower, and then the proteins more slowly. Right, Yeah, Josh, 155 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: I think that's that's probably the case. So that's explains 156 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: why you would live a little bit longer if you're starting. 157 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: Climate plays plays a role. If you're in the freezing 158 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,559 Speaker 1: cold or in the burning heat, neither one of those 159 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: are aren't any good because you're gonna die faster basically, 160 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,679 Speaker 1: which actually in this case may be better. Uh Well, 161 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: chances are if you're in extreme heat or cold, you 162 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: wouldn't make it to the point where you actually starved 163 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: to death. You would die from the elements before that 164 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: because it would weaken your body, you know, and tomato 165 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: tomato at that point, right, sure, yeah, you're probably just 166 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: you know, whatever hastens death, I imagine at that point 167 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: it's okay. So, um, I mean there's different stages, and 168 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: there's different symptoms for the stages of starvation, right um, 169 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: So at first, you know, and you can I can 170 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: identify with these like weakness, confusion, chronic diarrhea, got it 171 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: all the time, I barely ever eat, right. Um. Don't 172 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: you find that significant that you you your body starts 173 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: ejecting stuff while you're starving. You would think you'd be 174 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: hoarding it, right, Yeah, I guess it makes sense. But 175 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: that's that seems to be a common theme that that you, um, 176 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: you you have diarrhea, which is just bad because that 177 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,199 Speaker 1: will also lead to dehydration, which we'll get treated in 178 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: a minute, right exactly. Um, and then advanced starvation. You're 179 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: you're really bad off. You're convulsive. Um, you can have 180 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: muscle spasms, a regular heartbeat, m hallucinations. Uh, and then 181 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: ultimately you can die of shock, correct, right, Well, your 182 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: organs will just start shutting down basically one by one. Yeah, 183 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: you know, your body's a machine and they always say 184 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 1: that and that food, food is the fuel, and so 185 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: without it, you're literally just gonna start breaking down bit 186 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: by bit. You said, Gandhi fasted for twenty one days, 187 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: and he probably did it more than once, I imagine. Um. 188 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: But when we were talking about the IRA earlier, they 189 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: one of them made it seventy one days, I think, so, 190 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: I don't remember the number exactly, but I think the 191 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 1: last one made it seventy one days. And um, there 192 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: were a group of ten of them, right they were 193 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: in prison in Great Britain, and they started a hunger 194 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 1: struck because they were being um, pretty much tortured. At 195 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: the time, everybody hated the IRA, and Thatcher, Margaret Thatcher 196 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: was Prime Minister at the time, would would not budge. 197 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:58,840 Speaker 1: She went doing very public and yeah the world and 198 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,040 Speaker 1: um she she she kept repeating that these people are 199 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: criminals and they're committing suicide and she had zero compassion 200 00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: for him. But from what I understand, it actually started 201 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: to kind of turn the tide of public opinion slightly 202 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: more in favor of the I R A UM than 203 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: than it had been before, because up to that point 204 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: they were just heartless bombers, you know. So, and actually 205 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: seventy three days. Thomas mcawie he lasted the longest at 206 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: seventy three days, and he lasted what a week or 207 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: so longer than the second Yeah, full week. Well, choosing 208 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: to starve to death is one thing that's pretty harsh, 209 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: and you've got to be pretty committed to your cause 210 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: to do that. There's absolutely no way whatsoever you're gonna 211 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: last seventy one days without water right now. You never 212 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 1: see anyone go on on a dehydration strike, no, because 213 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: even the I ra a guys, um, we're taking small 214 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: amounts of water, which is what allowed them to live 215 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 1: that long. Exactly, you have to would be a very 216 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: short protest if you were doing a water strike, agreed, 217 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:58,200 Speaker 1: and you would not get much accomplished. So what what 218 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: kind of time length they are we talking? I'll go 219 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: back to the threes three days you could potentially live 220 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: without water. Um. Again, environment and what kind of shape 221 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: you're in play a role. If you're obviously in the desert, 222 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,080 Speaker 1: you can start to be the hydrated within the hour. 223 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 1: And you hear about, you know, these awful stories about 224 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: like a baby being locked in a car that can 225 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: die from dehydration just a couple of hours in the car. 226 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 1: I think you've been showing them that. I think like 227 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: maybe an hour. Yeah, yeah, and it's um, I guess 228 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,439 Speaker 1: this is the point where we should say that this 229 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 1: is not something anyone should test. You know, this is 230 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 1: no laughing matter. Legal department loves you, chuck. Yeah. I 231 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 1: need to say these things because you do not want 232 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: to test your body to see how long you go 233 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: without water. You can go on fast and people do 234 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: the cleanses and things, as you know. I've done my 235 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: cleans the Master cleanse before and um, is that the 236 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: lemonade cleans Yeah, yeah, with the cayan pepper lemon and 237 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 1: gray bean maple syrup. I've done that before. To all 238 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: it did was kick up like chicken pox and me, oh, 239 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: I was so sick after like four days. Yeah, yeah, 240 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: I couldn't hank I pooped my pants. I'll bet you did. 241 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: Once per moves through you, isn't it. Yeah, it's very 242 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: h It leads lends itself to an accidental scenarios that 243 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,600 Speaker 1: is a sign of starvation. So it is so Yeah, 244 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: you can't live without water for very long. Um, you 245 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: lose water when you sweat, when you urinate, um water 246 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,559 Speaker 1: in your feces. You lose water when you breathe through evaporation. 247 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: So your body is constantly losing water. Yeah, even like 248 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: you said, when you breathe, I found that surprising until 249 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: I really thought about it. I'm like, of course, that's 250 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,400 Speaker 1: why you can see your breath. It's water vapor right right, 251 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: And you know there's a lot of water. Our body, 252 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: I believe is water, and uh, we need water. It 253 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,640 Speaker 1: carries it runs through the blood to carry oxygen everywhere. 254 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: It acts as cushions for your joints and soft tissue 255 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 1: and helps your food digest, helps you absorb food energy. 256 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: There's actually this precarious balance going on, Chuck. There's this, uh, 257 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: I guess kind of dance between water and solutes in 258 00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: your body. A waltz sure sometimes is a fox trot 259 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: depending on the state of um. And so solutes can 260 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: be things like calcium, sodium, electro lights, think things that 261 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: you need, but um, you don't need an over abundance 262 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: of them in relation to the amount of water. You 263 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: don't want to high concentration or low concentration. And this 264 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: is part of the homeostasis that that um state of 265 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: balance in your body's processes. Part of that is UM 266 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: an isotonic state, which is a balance in the solution 267 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,920 Speaker 1: of solutes and water. Got got me? Okay, you got me, 268 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: You're with me so far with so basically there's there's 269 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: two places um. These solutions can be in your body 270 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: on the cellular level. They can be outside the cell, 271 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: which is extracellular, or they can be inside the cell, 272 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: which is intercellular. But and you want to have an 273 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: equal and isotonic balance and equal solution inside and outside. Right, 274 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: and if you if one's thrown off, say there's a 275 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: high concentration, which means there's a lot of salutes and 276 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: not too much water. UM on the extracellular spaces. Uh, 277 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: the water is going to go from inside the cell outside. 278 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: It's it's trying to strike a balance. If you're not 279 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: replenishing water and the water is being shifted around like this, 280 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 1: that's when you're in trouble. That makes sense. Okay, Now, 281 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: when you start losing water, you get thrown out of balance. 282 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: When you get thrown out of balance, basically dehydration, all 283 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: sorts of terrible things can happen. To your cells. Right, 284 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 1: So let's say there is a build up of sodium. 285 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: You've seen what sodium does your lips if you eat. 286 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: Have you ever had Burger King's chicken fries? No? Okay, 287 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 1: well what if you? If you they were an ill 288 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: conceived and short lived. Um, they were French fries, but 289 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: they were made of chicken, so they weren't they were. 290 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: It was chicken, a chicken nugget elongated and those things 291 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: you just you took a bite and your lips were 292 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: immediately checked like you've been skiing for eight days. Yeah, 293 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: oh my god. It's so there's um, there's too much 294 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: sodium can dry out cells, right, it can wither them. 295 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: So if you have too much sodium in your cells 296 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: and not enough water, they can shrink and become destroyed. 297 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: And also outside of the cells as well, you have 298 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: all sorts of process He's going on. So if there's 299 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: too much water inside the cells and not enough outside, 300 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,520 Speaker 1: the solution is too concentrated outside, then you have all 301 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: sorts of connections, um, a little vessels and things that 302 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: can rupture. Right, Okay, so this is what's going on 303 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: with dehydration. Actually, both of those can happen. So One 304 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: of the processes that that can take place and kill 305 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: you very easily is cerebral adema. Right, that just sounds 306 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: like a killer. It's not good. Basically, what happens is 307 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 1: the U the uh osmotic gradient occurs, so it's out 308 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: of balance and the water is sucked into the cell, 309 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 1: which sounds kind of weird because you know you're dehydrated, 310 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: but so it's taking any available water. It can um 311 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,360 Speaker 1: and if that happens too much to sell can rupture, 312 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: and if it happens in your brain, your brain swells 313 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,879 Speaker 1: and you're in big trouble because once a cell is 314 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: damaged like that, it can't be repaired. The exact opposite 315 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: can happen to your brain can if the balance is 316 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: off you have too much sodium not enough water, which 317 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: seems much more intuitive, and dehydration, uh, the the brain 318 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: can shrink. Actually. Do you remember Terri Shiavo, right, the 319 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: patient that was on life support and I got too 320 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:39,400 Speaker 1: much media attention. I remember her? Right? Um? She actually 321 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: when when she finally died, you know, she died of dehydration. 322 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: After thirteen days they took her off life support. She 323 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: was in a persistent vegetative state. Which we've talked about before. Um, 324 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: And she was basically just functioning on her brain stem. 325 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: When they did the autopsy after she died of dehydration 326 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: thirteen days later, it was half the size, half of 327 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: its normal size. Her brain was it just shrunk because 328 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: of a lack of water. It's interesting, It is interesting 329 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,200 Speaker 1: and horrifying. It is Unfortunately, from everything I've read, every 330 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: medical professional said, there's no way she can feel pained. 331 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:13,920 Speaker 1: She's not in a state of consciousness where she can 332 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:16,719 Speaker 1: experience pain, which is good because that would have been 333 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,440 Speaker 1: a really painful way to die. I would imagine dying 334 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: of thirst or dehydration starvation is not a pleasant way 335 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 1: to go if you're obviously not in a vegetatus. Right. Yeah, well, 336 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: you know though you've experienced something similar before. I know 337 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: you have when you've had a hangover. You know those 338 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:39,879 Speaker 1: throbbing headaches that you have. Your brain is literally shrinking, 339 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:44,720 Speaker 1: right right. Um, You're you're you're dried out, basically. Um. 340 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: You dehydrate when you when you drink heavily. Um, and 341 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: your body actually shuffles water around itself, right, And one 342 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: one great store of water in your body is in 343 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: your brain. So what's happening is water is being on 344 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:01,880 Speaker 1: from your brain and sent to other parts of your 345 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: bodies to rehydrate them, which seems like a terrible mechanism, right, 346 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: But what's going on is your brain actually doesn't have 347 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: any um, any any nervingtings. There's no way to feel 348 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: pain in your brain. But the membrane that connects your 349 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: brain to your skull, it's called the dura, it does 350 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 1: have pain receptors. So that's where the stretched and that's 351 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:23,959 Speaker 1: where you get the headache, which is why you need 352 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: to replenish yourself with water. Well, yeah, they say, you know, uh, 353 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,720 Speaker 1: if you're drinking alcohol in large amounts for you know, 354 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 1: New Year's Eve, let's say to uh toward the end 355 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: of the night, and you you need to start slamming water 356 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: or alternate the alcoholic beverage with a couple of I've 357 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:40,440 Speaker 1: always heard that too. I find it really difficult to do. Well, yeah, 358 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 1: that's because you have to put down the glass of 359 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: scotch in order to do it. So what else you got? 360 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: You got anything else? I've got nothing else? You know, 361 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: don't don't try this at home if you're in a 362 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: survival scenario though you're gonna want to get on the 363 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 1: water too. It's sweet. That's first order of business, unless 364 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,439 Speaker 1: you're obviously caught in freezing ice storm somewhere, and then 365 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: you're gonna one to get your shelter really fast. Right. Also, 366 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: you you've got plenty of water right around. You need 367 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: to melt it, true, Yeah, you have to melt it. 368 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: That's a good point. You don't want to eat snow 369 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 1: or chew on ice that will actually dehydrate you further. 370 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: Well it really, I know that the best way to 371 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: drink water is that room temperature. That's when your body 372 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: absorbs the most from it, right, But I didn't know 373 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: you can't eat snow. Well, it's uh. What it does 374 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: is it drops your core body temperature so much that 375 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: you're doing more harm than good. Got you, got you 376 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: well again, don't try going without food or water if 377 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: you don't have to drink eight to tin cups a day. 378 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:35,160 Speaker 1: I know it varies from different doctors, but I think 379 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,160 Speaker 1: by and large, if women drink, you know, roughly ninety 380 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: ounces of water day and men drink about a hundred 381 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:42,920 Speaker 1: and twenty ounces a day, then you should be doing 382 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: pretty well. You definitely want to hydrate got you and 383 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: when your mom said that you should eat all your 384 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: food because they're starving kids in China, she wasn't that 385 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,879 Speaker 1: far off. So consider that and uh, chuck, what do 386 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: we got? Uh? You know, I think we should give 387 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 1: some props to some of our podcasting mates here. I 388 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: know that we have a lot of great fans and 389 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: so of you know some of the other podcasts we do. 390 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,199 Speaker 1: But we have a great auto podcasts if you're into that, 391 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 1: called high Speed Stuff, and we have a music one 392 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: that's been launched recently. It's very cool kind of side. Yeah, 393 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: it's stuff from the B side takes an interesting angle 394 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: on different various music subjects. Is school. I like it? 395 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: And of course stuff you missed him? History class? Great? Yeah? 396 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: And uh what else? Brain stuff from our company founder 397 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: Marshall Brain the brain and then we can't forget Strickland 398 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: and tech stuff he would badger us for the next 399 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: few weeks. Sold. So tech stuff. If you're into gadgets 400 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: and technology, then they're your guts. But you can find 401 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: all those on the how stuff works page of iTunes. 402 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: And if you want to learn more about, um, how 403 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: long you can go without food or water? You can 404 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: type those words into our handy search bar at how 405 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. For more on this and thousands 406 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: of other topics. Is it how stuff works dot com. 407 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,119 Speaker 1: Let us know what you think. Send an email to 408 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 1: podcast at how stuff works dot com. Brought to you 409 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are 410 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: you