Comparative Effects of Caloric Restriction and Total Starvation on Body Composition in Obesity

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Abstract
There have been a number of reports of the metabolic effects of total starvation as a treatment for human obesity but only limited data exist concerning the effects of starvation on basic body constituents. Change in body weight, lean tissue and fat were measured in obese subjects during caloric restriction and during starvation.However, during the initial caloric restriction, over 70% of the weight loss was adipose tissue, whereas during total starvation less than 15% of the lost tissue was composed of fat. Marked loss of weight and lean tissue occurred during starvation which was of the same magnitude whether the starvation was begun after an ad lib diet or following caloric restriction.During post-starvation caloric restriction, there was gain in weight, considerable reaccumulation of lean tissue and loss of fat at a rate which was substantiallygreater than during starvation.