How Long Can A Person Live Without Food And Water?

The human body cannot survive without food and water for long periods of time. In fact, according to SurvivalTopics.com, the longest a person can go without water is 10 days - without food, it can be up to four or even six weeks. However, due to certain other variables, these numbers can vary. Second to oxygen, water is the most important compound that the human body needs for survival.

The amount of daily water required for optimum health is eight pints (two quarts). However, this amount changes if you become more physically active, the weather becomes hotter or the climate is dryer. In these situations, you are losing water through your pores via sweat and will need to replenish what is lost. In conditions like these, you will need to drink up to or about one gallon a day.

A person can go without food for a longer period of time. However, going without food for a few days or even up to a week will make us feel quite different. Some of the symptoms of lack of nutrients from food are weakness, making poor decisions, lethargy, irritability and confusion.

The amount of time a human can go without food based on information from medical doctors is no longer than four to six weeks. However, other variables can shorten or lengthen this time. Variables such as being obese or not drinking adequate amounts of water can change this amount of time. An obese person who is in good health can last anywhere from three to 25 weeks without food. However, if there is a shortage of both food and water, the person will not survive more than 10 days. In 1981, 10 prisoners in Northern Ireland's HM Prison Maze died whilst on hunger strike. They lasted between 46 and 73 days without food or water.

As a hospice nurse I routinely see people 'live' 14 days or so without food or water and 30 to 40 is not that uncommon.

A human being can live without food for several weeks because the body uses its fat and protein stores to help it in this process. A fat person is likely to survive for a longer time than a thin man because of the quantity of fat stores. Yet a lot depends on the person and it is certain to leave a person with a lot of tiredness and lack of energy.

But water is an entirely different case. A person would most certainly die if he has to go without water for three or four days at a stretch. The size of the person is of no consequence in a situation when there is no water. Thus it has to be concluded that water is more important than food as lack of water leads to dehydration and ultimate death. The water content in the body has to be regularly maintained.

This is crazy my mother hasn't had food for 4 weeks and sh is in poor health. I can't understand how she stays alive but she is. I go every day thinking today might be the day that I get the call that my mother has pasted away. She has very little fluid intake and no food intake . So you tell me how long can a person live like that. I guess that only GOD knows when its our time to go and he will take us when the time is right

Mother is 91 with dementia, has hospice care. No food for about 3 weeks. Only water or fruit juice, which may give her some "nutrition." Some people have an inner strength, and/or a hardier constitution than others and somehow keep going. Mom is probably 70 lbs. And we are amazed she keeps waking up to a new day. It's between her and God is all we can surmise.

If you drink only water no food dependin on the person and weight you can go without food for up to 2 months

how ever if you eat but don't drink again dependin on the person you can go up to 2 to 3 weeks coz some foods has water in it like fruit ect.....

BUT if you don't EAT and you don't DRINK a person what ever SIZE or TYPE can only go for 2 to 4 DAYS

I went 3 days without any food or water and was fine.
Six of us got food poisoning and couldnt eat or drink anything without throwing up so we didn't for three days straight.

Dad is 91 will not eat and now is only taking small amounts of liquid is in poor health short of breath bad heart worried about him

By following certain Yoga practices you can live for years but no common man can do those practices as it will lot of determination and patience.

In india a freedom fighter named Jotin Das lived 63 days without food but he drank water at that time .

I have some one that is 94 yrs old not to good health but kinda better then others his age but has went really down hill this past yr and he just got out of the Hospital and evey thing he eats or drinks goes to his lungs and he refused a feeding tubing and IV fluid and now can't take his meds but can have some shots he has bladder infection and pneumonia right not I don't want him to suffer and have been lucky to be a part of his life but was wondering about how Long he can live like this

Maybe because you weren't eating that much.THINK!

Usually food for 1 month and water for 1 week.

Water=3 days
food=3-5 days

14 days

3 days of each

It is impossible to live for 1 year that's what I think

I can live 3 weeks with out food and water