A week ago, Pastor James Irungu from Murang’a collapsed while attempting to set an 80-hour tree-hugging record. He was striving to surpass the record set by environmentalist Truphena Muthoni, who had hugged a tree for 72 hours. Pastor Irungu lost consciousness just 20 minutes short of his target time.

Muthoni, 21, had previously set the record for the longest tree hug in February 2025, lasting 48 hours. She later broke her own record in December of that year by reaching 72 hours.

In an interview, Muthoni explained that such an extreme feat requires significant preparation. Before her attempt, she conditioned her body by fasting, consuming only one meal a day at intervals to adapt to prolonged periods without food.

As the day of her record-breaking attempt drew closer, Muthoni intensified her regimen, avoiding not only food but also water, sleep, and bathroom breaks to fully condition her body.

Her rigorous preparation also included nonstop walks of up to 42 kilometres all while maintaining her disciplined routine of a single daily meal. This, she says, trained her body to endure extended periods without sustenance.

She noted that a key mistake during her first attempt was starting without proper hydration. This forced her to drink excessive amounts just before the challenge began. The aftermath left her body severely depleted; a problem she avoided in her successful 72-hour challenge.

Why we need food

Hillary Otieno, a nutritionist at Homa Bay County Referral Hospital, describes food as a fundamental pillar of life. After consumption, it is broken down and integrated into cells, tissues, and organs. According to Mr Otieno, food provides energy, acts as a building block for the body, contains regulatory substances, which ensure that the body has a balance in terms of acid, base and electrolytes, and supports the immune system.

What happens when the normal eating habit is interfered with?

Mr Otieno explains that eating habits can be understood through several key factors: the types of foods consumed, the timing of meals, the portion sizes, and dietary variety.

For instance, if someone regularly eats at 6am, 1 pm, and 6pm, the body adapts to this schedule. By 6am, the digestive system is primed to receive, break down, and absorb food. A sudden change in this routine forces the body to readjust. In such a scenario, the body, perceiving a state of starvation, begins to break down stored carbohydrates in the liver to produce energy.

Also read: The truth about fasting to lose weight

Starvation, he notes, also disrupts physiological processes like the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. If the body expects food that does not arrive, it spreads the acid that burns the stomach walls, leading to ulcers.

 “When starvation persists, the overall outcomes include significant changes in body weight and altered tolerance for certain foods.” Furthermore, prolonged starvation impairs normal brain function and disrupts sleep patterns.

How long can a human live without food?

According to Mr Otieno, an adult can survive for approximately three weeks to a month without food or water. During this period, the body enters a severe survival mode, essentially consuming itself through metabolic processes.

Also read: Struggling with belly fat? Here's how strategic fasting helps effectively lose weight

Initially, the body breaks down stored carbohydrates and fats in processes called glycogenolysis and lipolysis—the latter being the breakdown of stored fats into fatty acids and glycerol for energy. This process continues until the muscles are exhausted and can no longer provide glucose to fuel the brain and other vital cellular functions. It is at this critical stage that the heart begins to fail.

“At this stage, essential nutrients like sodium, potassium, vitamin B1, and B2, which are crucial for nervous system function, become depleted. The heart suffers from tachycardia, a dangerously fast heart rate, but without the energy required to sustain it.

Furthermore, plummeting glucose levels impair the body's ability to circulate oxygen effectively. The kidneys begin to shut down due to severe dehydration, and the liver becomes unable to metabolise immune-related products. Ultimately, this systemic failure leads to brain shutdown and death.

How to prepare for fasting

To safely prepare for an extended fast, it is crucial to condition your body gradually. A recommended method is to begin with intermittent fasting, which involves systematically reducing food intake. For example: if you typically eat three slices of bread, reduce to two. If you normally consume four meals a day, start by eliminating one.

This practice can be gradually extended until you reach a point of consuming only one meal per day or sustaining yourself on liquids.

Simultaneously, you can begin training your body to adapt to fewer bathroom breaks while allowing the body to store more fluids and food. Regarding Pastor Irungu’s collapse during his attempt, the nutritionist suggests his preparation may have been inadequate for such an extreme challenge.

“By fainting, his body was trying to protect itself after going too long without a meal, which was not a bad sign,” says the nutritionist.

What next after going for long without food

As Mr Otieno explains, abruptly introducing a large amount of food to a severely starved body can shock the system and lead to death. This phenomenon was tragically documented when prisoners of war and Holocaust survivors in WWII concentration camps died after being fed by their rescuers.

When the system is nearly shut down, it cannot metabolise a large influx of food. The remedy is to reintroduce food slowly, in very small portions, allowing the body to readjust.

[email protected]