CAN HUMANS LIVE WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER?

Oh! This question! Many of us must have pondered upon this question a lot of time, even the scientists have. So, what is the answer? Can we humans really stay alive, or to be more specific, stay healthier without food and water?

Some people claim to say that it is possible to stay alive with very less or no intake of food, by practicing BREATHARIANISM or INEDIA.

What is bretharianism?

Breatharianism is a belief that claims that food, and in some cases water too, are not necessary for the survival of humans. This belief also claims that humans can be sustained solely by praana – the vital source of life according to Hinduism.

Ayurveda says, sunlight is one of the main sources of prana. And some practitioners believe that it is possible for a person to survive on sunlight alone.

However, breatharianism is considered a lethal pseudoscience by scientists and medica professionals, since several adherents of these practices have ended up dying from starvation and dehydration.

Scientific assessment:  
  

Fasting for extende periods leads to starvation, dehydration, and eventual death, which nutritional science has already proved. The body generally burns its own reserves of glycogen, body fat, and muscle, in the absence of calorie intake. While breatharians claim that their bodies do not consume these reserves while fasting.

Some breatharians have submitted themselves to medical testing, including a hospital’s observation of Indian mystic Prahlad Jani appearing to survive without food and water for 15 days, and an Israeli appearing to survive for 8 days on a television documentary. In a handful of documented cases, individuals attempting breatharian fasting have died. Among the claims in support of Inedia investigated by th Indian Rationalist Association, all were found to be fraudulent. 

However, a few people are still surviving through breatharianism, the number of deaths caused by it is way too higher than  the number of people surviving. So, if you are in any mood of practicing breatharianism, consult a well qualified doctor first.