How long can you live on beer?

[random]

After much research online I have seen more guesses than anything about this question so i thought this being a science forum we would put science behind it. I Guess we should give the question some parameters so the individual is a 30 year old male 5 ft 9 165 lbs in good health. The amount of beer can be adjusted if it does any good but each beer contains 153 calories. 5 grams carbohydrates other contents are irrelevant.

[Xittenn]

You need to include water intake in your 'parameters.' Also, how is 5'9" 165lbs, in good health? Sounds kind of starved to death . . . . poor fella'.

 

** must be drinking too much beer

[ewmon]

each beer contains 153 calories. 5 grams carbohydrates other contents are irrelevant.

However, the lack of other contents is relevant. Proteins? Essential amino acids? Essential fatty acids? Iron? Calcium? Vitamins?

[random]

However, the lack of other contents is relevant. Proteins? Essential amino acids? Essential fatty acids? Iron? Calcium? Vitamins?

 

I meant they are not in sufficient quantities in the beer to really make any difference

 

You need to include water intake in your 'parameters.' Also, how is 5'9" 165lbs, in good health? Sounds kind of starved to death . . . . poor fella'.

 

** must be drinking too much beer

 

 

According to the Canada food guide 165 lbs is the ideal weight for a man 5 feet 9 inches tall.

[Xittenn]

Awful short for a man . . . beer stunts growth! You still didn't answer the real question which is, can the individual drink water? If they can't, they will probably die pretty quickly.

 

I think the problem with this question is that it demands empirical evidence. Maybe I can ask my short alcoholic brother to starve himself for a while and see what happens--kidding, har har.

 

But seriously, as long as water can be consumed regularly the individual would probably be able to live for quite some time, and most people will get food eventually. There is a reason why what you've propositioned is difficult to find a proper answer on, and that is because it almost never happens. There are however quite a number of underdeveloped Canadians who are alcoholics who eat very little.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Here's some empirical data for you:

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/alaskan-eats-frozen-beer-survive-days-snow-drift/story?id=15090905#.T4-CsI5gvUU

[Schrödinger's hat]

After much research online I have seen more guesses than anything about this question so i thought this being a science forum we would put science behind it. I Guess we should give the question some parameters so the individual is a 30 year old male 5 ft 9 165 lbs in good health. The amount of beer can be adjusted if it does any good but each beer contains 153 calories. 5 grams carbohydrates other contents are irrelevant.

 

Another thing to consider is alcohol content.

If you are unable to get enough calories to survive without consuming enough alcohol to kill you/make you severely ill then the beer could result in living less time.

Given sufficient water, then you'd still need to consider amount of energy required to metabolise the alcohol and get it out of your system.

Given this, a low alcohol content, dark beer (more calories) would probably be your best bet, but I would still think it would be questionable as to whether it will help you survive much longer than no food.

 

You need to include water intake in your 'parameters.' Also, how is 5'9" 165lbs, in good health? Sounds kind of starved to death . . . . poor fella'.

 

** must be drinking too much beer

 

5'9" and 165lbs is starving to death? I'm 5'11" and 135lbs....does that make me already dead?

[Xittenn]

5'9" and 165lbs is starving to death? I'm 5'11" and 135lbs....does that make me already dead?

 

Well, due to your obvious frailty you are most definitely exempt from any experimental investigations into health and beer consumption! Please sir seek a nutritionist to ensure the future safety of your respective nation, and to secure the future of beer for the many generations of men to come.

 

 

But seriously, I've watched individuals go for excessive amounts of time on limited food and lots of beer. Generally speaking however, they drink an amount of water at times when they are not drinking, like when they wake up. I think the real question is how much water will a nephron reabsorb given ADH has been almost completely shunted for an extended period of time? I don't believe the complete malfunctioning of the ADH system is sufficient to stop reabsorption of water. I would say that given the condition of only drinking beer and no water, the condition would probably balance out to death in an equal amount of time to what would be observed if the individual did drink some water. And if the individual were allowed to drink some water, I would conjecture to say as long as several months. These statements I would believe to hold up and onto the point of regular vomiting to rid the system of the alcohol. The system would still be able to rehydrate sufficiently and with enough sugars to keep someone going for quite some time. Can the beer be ingested anally?

[rjt]

After much research online I have seen more guesses than anything about this question so i thought this being a science forum we would put science behind it. I Guess we should give the question some parameters so the individual is a 30 year old male 5 ft 9 165 lbs in good health. The amount of beer can be adjusted if it does any good but each beer contains 153 calories. 5 grams carbohydrates other contents are irrelevant.

 

 

 

sorry no one has given you a straight answer or one that is correct. first off 5ft 9 at 165 is fine, i'm 6ft 2 and they say i should be 180, also 5ft 9 is not short. second you would die roughly in the same amount of time weather you drank beer or water (several days to no more than a week or two). IF you drank both you could live for a couple months before scurvy started to kick in, if you added some extra vitamins and maybe lemon juice for vitamin C you would be able to live longer before kidney failure kicked in. hope this helps..... since no one else did. here is a web site to start your own research.

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2011/04/how_long_can_you_survive_on_beer_alone.html

[Moontanman]

If you are drinking in a bar you can always partake of pickled eggs, pigs feet and pretzels, you know, to supplement the beer...

[zapatos]

sorry no one has given you a straight answer or one that is correct. first off 5ft 9 at 165 is fine, i'm 6ft 2 and they say i should be 180, also 5ft 9 is not short. second you would die roughly in the same amount of time weather you drank beer or water (several days to no more than a week or two). IF you drank both you could live for a couple months before scurvy started to kick in, if you added some extra vitamins and maybe lemon juice for vitamin C you would be able to live longer before kidney failure kicked in. hope this helps..... since no one else did. here is a web site to start your own research.

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2011/04/how_long_can_you_survive_on_beer_alone.html

Seems like random is still not getting a straight answer.

For total starvation in healthy individuals receiving adequate hydration, reliable data on survival are hard to obtain. At the age of 74 and already slight of build, Mahatma Gandhi, the famous nonviolent campaigner for India's independence, survived 21 days of total starvation while only allowing himself sips of water. In a 1997 article in the British Medical Journal, Michael Peel, senior medical examiner at the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, cites well-documented studies reporting survivals of other hunger strikers for 28, 36, 38 and 40 days.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-long-can-a-person-sur