Daily weight loss measurements in 76 fasting, obese patients (58 females, 18 males) have shown a characteristic pattern of rapid loss initially (up to day 14) followed by a slower but uniform reduction in weight. There were significant sex differences. Measurements of tissue breakdown showed that the initial rapid weight loss was due to the continuing utilization by the nervous system of… Read More

A total of 75 grossly obese patients were admitted to hospital for 80 episodes of prolonged starvation. Five took their own discharge within two weeks of admission and 12 defaulted from follow-up within 12 months of discharge. The others were all followed up for periods of 12 to 64 months. Altogether 39 episodes in 34 patients were classified as failures, eight as modified successes, and 16 as… Read More

Rates of plasma acetoacetate and total ketone-body production and oxidation to CO2 were determined by an isotope tracer technique in eight obese subjects undergoing progressive starvation. After a brief fast and under conditions of mild ketonemia and minimal ketonuria, rates of acetoacetate and total ketone-body production and oxidation were directly related to the increasing plasma… Read More