Rabbit Starvation Syndrome!!
terizius
Posts: 425 Member
I was doing some research on protein consumption today when I learned about Rabbit Starvation Syndrome.. Interesting stuff..
The dangers of excessive protein intake should not be underestimated and
have been recognized historically through the excess consumption of lean wild
meat by early American explorers leading to a condition referred to as “rabbit
starvation syndrome,” in which symptoms included nausea and diarrhea followed
by death within 2 to 3 wk (29). This syndrome was explained as the inability of
the human liver to sufficiently upregulate urea synthesis to meet “large” loads of
protein (29)
The one well known case is that of the early 20th century Arctic explorer
Vilhjalmur Stefansson, who after many years living with the Arctic Inuit and
consuming a diet estimated to be approximately 50% energy as protein, returned
to civilization and conducted a year-long experiment on himself at Bellevue
Hospital in New York. During this time, Stefansson, a fit 72.5 kg man, consumed
meat only, with a variable protein:fat ratio. During the first 3 d he became ill
with the symptoms of “rabbit starvation” at a protein intake of 264 g/d, which
was 45.3% of his energy intake (36). As the protein level was lowered slightly
and replaced with extra fat, however, on the fourth and fifth days symptoms
disappeared.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16779921
The dangers of excessive protein intake should not be underestimated and
have been recognized historically through the excess consumption of lean wild
meat by early American explorers leading to a condition referred to as “rabbit
starvation syndrome,” in which symptoms included nausea and diarrhea followed
by death within 2 to 3 wk (29). This syndrome was explained as the inability of
the human liver to sufficiently upregulate urea synthesis to meet “large” loads of
protein (29)
The one well known case is that of the early 20th century Arctic explorer
Vilhjalmur Stefansson, who after many years living with the Arctic Inuit and
consuming a diet estimated to be approximately 50% energy as protein, returned
to civilization and conducted a year-long experiment on himself at Bellevue
Hospital in New York. During this time, Stefansson, a fit 72.5 kg man, consumed
meat only, with a variable protein:fat ratio. During the first 3 d he became ill
with the symptoms of “rabbit starvation” at a protein intake of 264 g/d, which
was 45.3% of his energy intake (36). As the protein level was lowered slightly
and replaced with extra fat, however, on the fourth and fifth days symptoms
disappeared.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16779921
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Replies
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That's just not very bunny.0
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Springfield1970 wrote: »That's just not very bunny.
I see what you did hare.0 -
I carrot stress enough how important it is to get protein dosage correct......0
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Rabbit is an interesting meat - it contains all the essential amino acids and is very lean.
I wonder if this would have been the same with different meats? Ones with a higher fat percentage or ones with an incomplete profile meaning you would need to eat more than one type of meat...
But mostly what I am taking from this thread is that I haven't had rabbit pie for a while. I'll dust off the .410...0 -
I like the way it's all, a bit of nausea and the runs, then DEATH.0
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SteveJWatson wrote: »Rabbit is an interesting meat - it contains all the essential amino acids and is very lean.
I wonder if this would have been the same with different meats? Ones with a higher fat percentage or ones with an incomplete profile meaning you would need to eat more than one type of meat...
But mostly what I am taking from this thread is that I haven't had rabbit pie for a while. I'll dust off the .410...
You can't have all butter pastry though.....cut no ;-)?
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Springfield1970 wrote: »I like the way it's all, a bit of nausea and the runs, then DEATH.
Protein vs Ebola
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Pah. Rabbit stew then....0
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Gawd!Springfield1970 wrote: »I like the way it's all, a bit of nausea and the runs, then DEATH.
Protein vs Ebola
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don't mind me I am just hop, hop, hopping, along....0
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I don't think it was rabbit meat only- I think that's just the name of the condition.SteveJWatson wrote: »Rabbit is an interesting meat - it contains all the essential amino acids and is very lean.
I wonder if this would have been the same with different meats? Ones with a higher fat percentage or ones with an incomplete profile meaning you would need to eat more than one type of meat...
But mostly what I am taking from this thread is that I haven't had rabbit pie for a while. I'll dust off the .410...
I suspect living as an Inuit- there would have been other meats he consumed.
And Also- it was my understanding Alaskan/Antartic diets are more FAT heavy than meat heavy- its' fats- proteins then carbs... because the water mammals have more fat and it keeps better.
least from my memories of research.0 -
Yeah, the problem with rabbit meat is it's too lean.
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Don't starve rabbits.0
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And then you have the 2 explorers that did a year of nothing but meat and fat and had no issues.
http://www.jbc.org/content/87/3/651.full.pdf
"SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.
1. Two men lived on an exclusive meat diet for 1 year and a
third man for 10 days. The relative amounts of lean and fat,
meat ingested were left to the instinctive choice of the individuals.
2. The protein content varied from 100 to 140 gm., the fat from
200 to 300 gm., the carbohydrate, derived entirely from the meat,
from 7 to 12 gm., and the fuel value from 2000 to 3100 calories.
3. At the end of the year, the subjects were mentally alert,
physically active, and showed no specific physical changes in any
system of the body.
4. During the 1st week, all three men lost weight, due to a
shift in the water content of the body while adjusting itself to the
low carbohydrate diet. Thereafter, their weights remained
practically constant.
5. In the prolonged test, the blood pressure of one man remained
constant; the systolic pressure of the other decreased 20
mm. and the diastolic pressure remained uniform.
6. The control of the bowels was not disturbed while the subjects
were on prescribed meat diet. In one instance, when the
proportion of protein calories in the diet exceeded 40 per cent,
a diarrhea developed.
7. Vitamin deficiencies did not appear.
8. The total acidity of the urine during the meat diet was increased
to 2 or 3 times that of the acidity on mixed diets and acetonuria
was present throughout the periods of exclusive meat.
9. Urine examinations, determinations of the nitrogenous
constituents of the blood, and kidney function tests revealed no
evidence of kidney damage.
10. While on the meat diet, the men metabolized foodstuffs with
FA: G ratios between 1.9 and 3.0 and excreted from 0.4 to 7.2 gm.
of acetone bodies per day.
11. In these trained subjects, the clinical observations and
laboratory studies gave no evidence that any ill effects had
occurred from the prolonged use of the exclusive meat diet. "0 -
From what I have read, as long as the fat content of the meat is sufficient then the protein instake is not a problem. I believe the reason it is called Rabbit Starvation is because of how lean rabbit is.0
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And then you have the 2 explorers that did a year of nothing but meat and fat and had no issues."
That's because their protein to fat intake was about 1:2.. so below that 40% mark. As your study mentions, above 40%, they developed diarrhea.. so.. It seems like 40% is the threshold for all meat diets (or protein consumption) before problems develop.0 -
I don't even get in to steak/pork that much, that's a scary amount of chicken.
Though perhaps I'd try some steak stews more. Huh, but without vegetables, interesting.
Is potato a vegetable? ;-)
More important, M & M's would be classed as a fat, right?0 -
Hey, M & M's have valuable energy providing, glycogen replenishing carbs. Plus, I always get the peanut kind, so I've got the protein included. Hmm.. Carbs, protein, fat.. peanut M & M's sound like a pretty balanced meal all the sudden..0
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