Expert: Reverend Abbott - 7/18/2004

Question
Dear Reverend:
My question concerns the physique or physical appearance of people who have been on prolonged starvation diets. Occasionally I watch TV and see an ad soliciting funds for the starving children of Africa . Yet there stomachs all seem to be protruding as if they were fat yet you can see the bones thru the skin on other visibile areas of the body. On the other hand viewing films of say Auschwitz concentration camp victims they are literally walking(if even that) skeletons;i.e. no bulging abdomens. I was wondering if the difference in bodily appearance was due to the age difference (young as opposed to adult) or maybe racial (Jewish as oppossed to African) or maybe to the way each group "became" starved? What do you think?

Thanks in advance,
James Krol


Answer
You pose an excellent question that I find odd more people don't ask!
Race is not a factor for the symptom of swollen belly (distended abdomen) as a result of starvation.  It's a result of bloat; filling the abdominal cavity with gas, air, water as the result of any number of other side effects of lack of food.  Our body will use muscle and organ tissue, including bones, to maintain life - until it (literally) eats itself up and death results from (typically) heart and respiratory failure.  
Bones are extremely fragile and it's not unusual for starvation victims to be found (depending on age) stunted in growth, shorter than they have been known to be (a result of anorexia is often loss of height, which is also common with osteoporosis sufferers).

In the poor countries and areas often depicted when asking for aid, it's not unusal for starvation victims to 'fill up' on any sort of water they can find.  In itself, frequently a disease carrier.  They have also been found with tree bark, even dirt, among other available substances, in their stomachs - just to stave off the pain of hunger.

Still, the swollen ab is not usually from this - but from the complications of lack of adequate food/calorie intake.  

It does occur more frequently in children, but is not unheard of in adults.  It has occurred in prison camp victims such as you describe.  It also can 'go away' as the starvation (particularly in grown people) advances and the edema (water retention/bloat) reverses to severe dehyration and the body collapses in on itself (thus the photographs we often see).

Children don't live long enough (generally) to have this happen.  

A truly sad and most tragic event, no matter what the cause, or 'who'.  In a world that truly has plenty and the resources to share, there are those who starve on purpose (I myself suffered anorexia) and those who would rather focus attention and energy on less constructive efforts.  

If you have other health, medical questions you'd like an answer to without a sales pitch, without anything promoted and without needing to give your email address, check my site.  I hope it helps!
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http://www.geocities.com/thereverend1investigates/

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