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Protein poisoning (also referred to colloquially as rabbit starvation, ''mal de caribou'', or fat starvation) is an acute form of
malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
caused by a diet deficient in fat and
carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...
, where almost all calories consumed come from the
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
in lean meat. The concept is discussed in the context of
paleoanthropological Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as hominization, through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinship ...
investigations into the diet of ancient humans, especially during the
last glacial maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eu ...
and at high latitudes. The term ''rabbit starvation'' originates from the fact that
rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...
meat is very lean, with almost all of its caloric content from
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
rather than fat, and therefore a food which, if consumed exclusively, would cause protein poisoning. Animals in harsh, cold environments similarly become lean. The reported symptoms include initial nausea and fatigue, followed by
diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...
and ultimately death.


Observations

In
Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...
's Roman History, Volume I, Book VI: The Wars in Spain, Chapter IX, page 223, the author notes a multitude of Roman soldiers dying of severe diarrhea after eating mostly rabbits while besieging the city
Intercatia Villanueva del Campo () is a town located in the Province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ult ...
in approx 150 B.C. Appian wrote: The explorer
Vilhjalmur Stefansson Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada. Early life Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. His parents had ...
is said to have lived for years exclusively on game meat and fish, with no ill effects. The same is true for his fellow explorer Karsten Anderson. As part of his promotion of meat-only diet modeled on
Inuit cuisine Historically Inuit cuisine, which is taken here to include Greenlandic cuisine, Yup'ik cuisine and Aleut cuisine, consisted of a diet of animal source foods that were fished, hunted, and gathered locally. In the 20th century the Inuit diet began ...
, and to demonstrate the effects, in New York City beginning in February 1928, Stefansson and Anderson "lived and ate in the metabolism ward of Russell Sage Institute of Pathology of
Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...
, New York" for a year, with their metabolic performance closely observed, all this partly funded by the Institute of American Meat Packers. Researchers hoping to replicate Stefansson's experience with rabbit starvation in the field urged him to cut the fat intake in his all-meat diet to zero. He did, and experienced a much quicker onset of diarrhea than in the field. With fat added back in, Stefansson recovered, although with a 10-day period of constipation afterwards. The study reported finding no previous medical literature examining either the effects of meat-only diets, which appear to be sustainable, or on rabbit starvation, which is fatal. Stefansson wrote: A World War II-era Arctic survival booklet issued by the Flight Control Command of the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
included this emphatic warning: "Because of the importance of fats, under no conditions limit yourself to a meat diet of rabbit just because they happen to be plentiful in the region where you are forced down. A continued diet of rabbit will produce ''rabbit starvation'' -- diarrhea will begin in about a week and if the diet is continued DEATH MAY RESULT."


Physiology

The U.S. and Canadian Dietary Reference Intake review for protein mentions "rabbit starvation", but concluded that there was not sufficient evidence by 2005 to establish a
tolerable upper intake level The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is a system of nutrition recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) of the National Academies (United States). It was introduced in 1997 in order to broaden the existing guidelines known as Re ...
, i.e., an upper limit for how much protein can be safely consumed. According to Bilsborough and Mann in 2006, protein intake is mainly restricted by the
urea cycle The urea cycle (also known as the ornithine cycle) is a cycle of biochemical reactions that produces urea (NH2)2CO from ammonia (NH3). Animals that use this cycle, mainly amphibians and mammals, are called ureotelic. The urea cycle converts h ...
, but deriving more than 35% of energy needs from protein leads to health problems. They suggested an upper limit of 25% or 2-2.5 g/kg, "corresponding to 176 g protein per day for an 80 kg individual", but stated that humans can theoretically use much larger amounts than this for energy. For arctic hunter-gatherers, the amount can seasonally increase to 45%. Protein intakes above 35% of energy needs have also been shown to decrease
testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristi ...
and increase
cortisol Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones. When used as a medication, it is known as hydrocortisone. It is produced in many animals, mainly by the '' zona fasciculata'' of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal g ...
levels. This is thought to be part of the body's attempt to upregulate the urea cycle, and increase nitrogen excretion.


See also

*
Atkins diet The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Robert Atkins in the 1970s, marketed with claims that carbohydrate restriction is crucial to weight loss and that the diet offered "a high calorie way to stay thin forever". The diet be ...
*
Country food Indigenous cuisine of the Americas includes all cuisines and food practices of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Contemporary Native peoples retain a varied culture of traditional foods, along with the addition of some post-contact foods ...
/ Inuit diet – Traditional diet of the Inuit and First Nations *
Christopher McCandless Christopher Johnson McCandless (; February 12, 1968 – August 1992), also known by his pseudonym "Alexander Supertramp", was an American adventurer who sought an increasingly nomadic lifestyle as he grew up. McCandless is the subject of '' In ...
- an assumed protein poisoning victim *
Dukan Diet The Dukan Diet is a high-protein low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Pierre Dukan. Description The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet with four phases, each of which has specific rules. History In 1975, Pierre Dukan was a ...
*
Kwashiorkor Kwashiorkor ( , ) is a form of severe protein malnutrition characterized by edema and an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates. It is thought to be caused by sufficient calorie intake, but with insufficient protein consumption (or lack of go ...
– Disease resulting from sufficient caloric intake with very low protein content *
Low-carbohydrate diet Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates (e.g., sugar, bread, pasta) are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein (e.g., meat, ...
*
Marasmus Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition characterized by energy deficiency. It can occur in anyone with severe malnutrition but usually occurs in children. Body weight is reduced to less than 62% of the normal (expected) body weight for the a ...
– Disease caused by inadequate caloric intake *
Montignac diet The Montignac diet is a high-protein low-carbohydrate fad diet that was popular in the 1990s, mainly in Europe. It was invented by Frenchman Michel Montignac (1944–2010), an international executive for the pharmaceutical industry, who, like his ...
*
Protein Power Protein Power is a high-protein, low carbohydrate fad diet developed by physician Michael R. Eades and his wife Mary Dan Eades. Overview The Eades promoted the diet in their book ''Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low Carbohydrate Way to Lose ...
*
Protein toxicity Protein toxicity is the effect of the buildup of protein metabolic waste compounds, like urea, uric acid, ammonia, and creatinine. Protein toxicity has many causes, including urea cycle disorders, genetic mutations, excessive protein intake, and ...
– Damage caused by buildup of protein metabolic waste products in the bloodstream *
Proteopathy In medicine, proteinopathy (; 'pref''. protein -pathy 'suff''. disease proteinopathies ''pl''.; proteinopathic ''adj''), or proteopathy, protein conformational disorder, or protein misfolding disease refers to a class of diseases in which certa ...
– Damage caused by misfolded proteins *
Scarsdale diet The Scarsdale diet is a high-protein Low-carbohydrate diet, low-carbohydrate fad diet designed for weight loss created in the 1970s by Herman Tarnower, named for the town in New York where he practiced cardiology, described in the book ''The Compl ...
*
Stillman diet The Stillman Diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that was created in 1967 by physician Irwin Maxwell Stillman (1896–1975). Overview Stillman and Samm Sinclair Baker authored the book ''The Doctor's Quick Weight Loss Diet'' that fir ...
* Sugar Busters! *
Zone diet The Zone diet is a fad diet emphasizing low-carbohydrate consumption. It was created by Barry Sears, an American biochemist.Baron M. Fighting obesity Part 1: Review of popular low-carb diets. Health Care Food Nutr Focus. 2004 Oct;21(10):1, 3-6, 1 ...


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rabbit Starvation Malnutrition Carnivory Survival skills Proteins as nutrients