Starvation

Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation (in excess of 1-2 months) causes permanent organ damage and, eventually, death. The term inanition refers to the symptoms and effects of starvation.


According to the World Health Organization, hunger is the gravest single threat to the world's public health. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than 25,000 people died of starvation every day in 2003, and as of 2001 to 2003, about 800 million humans were chronically undernourished. The WHO also states that malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in half of all cases. Scientists say millions of people face starvation following an outbreak of a deadly new strain of blight, known as Ug99, which is spreading across the wheat fields of Africa and Asia.


Common causes

The basic cause of starvation is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure; in starvation, more energy is spent than is taken in as food. This imbalance can arise in many situations, some of which include:
• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Depression
• Coma
• Diabetes mellitus
• Digestive disease
• Famine
• Fasting
• Malnutrition
• Overpopulation
• Poverty
• War