THE EFFECT OF SUCCESSIVE FASTS ON THE ABILITY OF MEN TO WITHSTAND FASTING DURING HARD WORK

Abstract

Metabolic, physiological and psychomotor measurements were carried out on 4 men who performed hard work under rigidly controlled conditions during 5 successive 21/2 day fasts. The total caloric deficit was of the order of 10,000 calories. The successive fasts were separated by 5-6 wk. intervals. Results on the 1st and 5th fasts have been reported. During the 2d and 3d days of fasting all men were able to maintain the blood sugar in work at a significantly higher level in the 5th as compared to the 1st fast. Motor speed and co-ordination deteriorated less during the 5th fast. Reaction time and pattern tracing showed a statistically significant improvement while 2 other psychomotor tests showed trends in the same direction. The relationships between blood sugar, blood ketone and urinary N are discussed.