What will happen if you don’t eat or drink for a day? ——Body changes and scientific analysis
Recently, topics about "intermittent fasting" and "extreme challenges" have sparked heated discussions on social media. Many people are curious: What will happen to the body if you don't eat or drink for a day? This article combines the hot discussions and scientific data on the Internet in the past 10 days to provide you with a detailed analysis.
1. Physical reactions of fasting food and water for 24 hours

According to medical research, the human body will undergo the following staged changes within 24 hours after completely stopping the intake of food and water:
| time stage | Physiological reaction | risk level |
|---|---|---|
| 0-4 hours | Blood sugar drops and gastric acid secretion increases | low risk |
| 4-12 hours | Liver glycogen is depleted and fat breakdown begins | Low to medium risk |
| 12-24 hours | Dehydration symptoms appear, electrolyte imbalance | medium to high risk |
2. Dehydration is more dangerous than hunger
According to the popular science content of health accounts in the past 10 days, the impact of dehydration far exceeds that of hunger:
| water shortage time | loss of body water | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| 12 hours | About 2% body weight | Thirst, dizziness |
| 18 hours | About 3-4% body weight | Decreased concentration and rapid heartbeat |
| 24 hours | About 5% body weight | Muscle spasms, confusion |
3. Recent relevant hot events
1.Internet celebrity challenge sparks controversy: A short video blogger tried to "live broadcast without eating or drinking for 24 hours", but the video was interrupted due to symptoms of hypoglycemia. The related topic has been read 120 million times.
2.Medical experts warn: The Chinese Nutrition Society released data stating that adults need to drink at least 1,500ml of water every day. Complete water deprivation may cause acute kidney injury.
3.Actual test feedback from netizens: In the Weibo topic #无吃不水的DAY#, 37% of the participants reported headaches and 22% experienced hand tremors.
4. Special groups are at higher risk
According to recent medical and health big data, the following groups of people need to absolutely avoid fasting and water deprivation for long periods of time:
| Crowd type | Risk coefficient | possible consequences |
|---|---|---|
| diabetics | ★★★★★ | ketoacidosis |
| cardiovascular patients | ★★★★ | Arrhythmia |
| pregnant woman | ★★★★★ | fetal hypoxia |
5. Scientific advice
1. If you want to try intermittent fasting, it is recommended to use16:8 mode(16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating), and drinking water must be ensured.
2. Stop immediately if the following symptoms occur:Severe dizziness, palpitations, little or no urine.
3. Sports experts need to pay attention: recent measured data from fitness bloggers show that exercising under water deprivation reduces body temperature regulation ability by 40%.
Conclusion
While short-term fasting may provide some metabolic benefits, completely depriving yourself of food and water for 24 hours carries more risks than benefits for most people. The recent hypoglycemic reaction of stars in the popular variety show "Extreme Challenge" also confirms this point. A healthy lifestyle should be based on science, and do not blindly follow online challenges.
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