Which organ is hit first by starvation? Doctor explains amid Sonam Wangchuk's fast
As the body exhausts its energy reserves, it turns to its own muscles for fuel. The doctor explains what happens next and why prolonged starvation can become life-threatening.
As Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike enters its third week, reports of muscle loss have raised fresh concerns over the effects of prolonged starvation. While weight loss is the most visible consequence, doctors say what happens inside the body is far more alarming. Beyond the falling number on the weighing scale lies a more important question – which organ does prolonged starvation affect first?
According to Dr Manjusha Agarwal, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Gleneagles Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, the body does not begin damaging a single organ. Instead, it follows a survival mechanism, using different energy stores in phases before vital organs begin to suffer.
THE BODY BURNS FUEL IN STAGES
"The body first uses glucose stored as glycogen for energy and then shifts to fat reserves," Dr Agarwal explained.
As starvation continues, it starts breaking down muscle protein to provide energy for essential metabolic processes. This marks the point where the body can no longer rely on stored carbohydrates or fat alone and begins consuming its own tissues to keep vital organs functioning.
WHICH ORGAN IS AT RISK FIRST?
While there is no single organ that is always affected first, skeletal muscles are among the earliest tissues to be broken down. As starvation progresses, the heart, being a muscle itself, becomes one of the first vital organs at risk, Dr Agarwal said.
Prolonged protein deficiency, together with disturbances in electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and phosphate, can weaken the heart muscle and significantly increase the risk of life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities.
The brain is relatively protected in the initial stages because it can switch to using ketones for energy.
“However, this protection is temporary. Without adequate nutrition, the body's adaptive mechanisms begin to fail, increasing the risk of organ dysfunction," Dr Agarwal explained.
WHY PROLONGED STARVATION IS DANGEROUS
According to Dr Agarwal, rapid weight loss accompanied by muscle wasting indicates that the body has entered a stage of severe nutritional deprivation, where it is extensively breaking down protein to sustain essential functions.
This can lead to profound muscle weakness, dehydration, low blood pressure, electrolyte imbalance, weakened immunity, kidney dysfunction and progressive heart weakness.
Together, these complications indicate that the body has entered a stage where urgent medical care is needed to prevent irreversible organ damage.
WHEN DOES IT BECOME A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?
Doctors consider starvation a medical emergency not after a fixed number of days but when metabolic instability or organ dysfunction threatens survival. Warning signs include severe dehydration, confusion, inability to stand due to extreme weakness, very low blood pressure, chest pain, a slow or irregular heartbeat, reduced urine output, kidney or liver failure, severe electrolyte abnormalities and abnormal ECG findings.
"At this stage, the patient requires urgent hospital care to prevent irreversible organ damage and potentially fatal complications," Dr Agarwal said.
As Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike enters its third week, reports of muscle loss have raised fresh concerns over the effects of prolonged starvation. While weight loss is the most visible consequence, doctors say what happens inside the body is far more alarming. Beyond the falling number on the weighing scale lies a more important question – which organ does prolonged starvation affect first?
According to Dr Manjusha Agarwal, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Gleneagles Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, the body does not begin damaging a single organ. Instead, it follows a survival mechanism, using different energy stores in phases before vital organs begin to suffer.
THE BODY BURNS FUEL IN STAGES
"The body first uses glucose stored as glycogen for energy and then shifts to fat reserves," Dr Agarwal explained.
As starvation continues, it starts breaking down muscle protein to provide energy for essential metabolic processes. This marks the point where the body can no longer rely on stored carbohydrates or fat alone and begins consuming its own tissues to keep vital organs functioning.
WHICH ORGAN IS AT RISK FIRST?
While there is no single organ that is always affected first, skeletal muscles are among the earliest tissues to be broken down. As starvation progresses, the heart, being a muscle itself, becomes one of the first vital organs at risk, Dr Agarwal said.
Prolonged protein deficiency, together with disturbances in electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and phosphate, can weaken the heart muscle and significantly increase the risk of life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities.
The brain is relatively protected in the initial stages because it can switch to using ketones for energy.
“However, this protection is temporary. Without adequate nutrition, the body's adaptive mechanisms begin to fail, increasing the risk of organ dysfunction," Dr Agarwal explained.
WHY PROLONGED STARVATION IS DANGEROUS
According to Dr Agarwal, rapid weight loss accompanied by muscle wasting indicates that the body has entered a stage of severe nutritional deprivation, where it is extensively breaking down protein to sustain essential functions.
This can lead to profound muscle weakness, dehydration, low blood pressure, electrolyte imbalance, weakened immunity, kidney dysfunction and progressive heart weakness.
Together, these complications indicate that the body has entered a stage where urgent medical care is needed to prevent irreversible organ damage.
WHEN DOES IT BECOME A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?
Doctors consider starvation a medical emergency not after a fixed number of days but when metabolic instability or organ dysfunction threatens survival. Warning signs include severe dehydration, confusion, inability to stand due to extreme weakness, very low blood pressure, chest pain, a slow or irregular heartbeat, reduced urine output, kidney or liver failure, severe electrolyte abnormalities and abnormal ECG findings.
"At this stage, the patient requires urgent hospital care to prevent irreversible organ damage and potentially fatal complications," Dr Agarwal said.
As Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike enters its third week, reports of muscle loss have raised fresh concerns over the effects of prolonged starvation. While weight loss is the most visible consequence, doctors say what happens inside the body is far more alarming. Beyond the falling number on the weighing scale lies a more important question – which organ does prolonged starvation affect first?
According to Dr Manjusha Agarwal, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Gleneagles Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, the body does not begin damaging a single organ. Instead, it follows a survival mechanism, using different energy stores in phases before vital organs begin to suffer.
THE BODY BURNS FUEL IN STAGES
"The body first uses glucose stored as glycogen for energy and then shifts to fat reserves," Dr Agarwal explained.
As starvation continues, it starts breaking down muscle protein to provide energy for essential metabolic processes. This marks the point where the body can no longer rely on stored carbohydrates or fat alone and begins consuming its own tissues to keep vital organs functioning.
WHICH ORGAN IS AT RISK FIRST?
While there is no single organ that is always affected first, skeletal muscles are among the earliest tissues to be broken down. As starvation progresses, the heart, being a muscle itself, becomes one of the first vital organs at risk, Dr Agarwal said.
Prolonged protein deficiency, together with disturbances in electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and phosphate, can weaken the heart muscle and significantly increase the risk of life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities.
The brain is relatively protected in the initial stages because it can switch to using ketones for energy.
“However, this protection is temporary. Without adequate nutrition, the body's adaptive mechanisms begin to fail, increasing the risk of organ dysfunction," Dr Agarwal explained.
WHY PROLONGED STARVATION IS DANGEROUS
According to Dr Agarwal, rapid weight loss accompanied by muscle wasting indicates that the body has entered a stage of severe nutritional deprivation, where it is extensively breaking down protein to sustain essential functions.
This can lead to profound muscle weakness, dehydration, low blood pressure, electrolyte imbalance, weakened immunity, kidney dysfunction and progressive heart weakness.
Together, these complications indicate that the body has entered a stage where urgent medical care is needed to prevent irreversible organ damage.
WHEN DOES IT BECOME A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?
Doctors consider starvation a medical emergency not after a fixed number of days but when metabolic instability or organ dysfunction threatens survival. Warning signs include severe dehydration, confusion, inability to stand due to extreme weakness, very low blood pressure, chest pain, a slow or irregular heartbeat, reduced urine output, kidney or liver failure, severe electrolyte abnormalities and abnormal ECG findings.
"At this stage, the patient requires urgent hospital care to prevent irreversible organ damage and potentially fatal complications," Dr Agarwal said.
