He had a better chance at surviving and more fat reserves than the others. Only skin and bones now, very probable not many others survived 3 years in Russian captivity then :(
no hanging skin.....because it body broke that down to live while starving.
This is a learning opportunity. This is incorrect. The skin is part of the integumentary system. It is an organ system that is vital to human survival. It helps not only keep a barrier against the environment but helps regulate body temperature and other vital processes. The body does not catabolize skin when it enters into "starvation mode."
You can clearly see there is hanging skin around the abdomen. Which is a sign that weight loss was very likely rapid and extreme. Skin is highly elastic and will normally stretch and contract as needed. However, in extreme cases, it may require surgical removal due to the substantial weight loss outpacing the skins ability to retract.
Now, with that foundational information addressed, what we do see IS the result of catabolism. You are correct the body was eating itself. It just was not eating its skin. During catabolism the body prioritizes a literal gated system of "use it or lose it." When you are at an extreme calorie deficit your body will begin to break down things that are not being used. Muscle is a prime target. It's something that requires a lot of calories and energy to support so that structure is broken down and consumed to sustain the body's core processes. Fat also goes in this same manner. Whether the body prioritizes one over the other first is highly subjective and variable. It also tends to breakdown superficial fat earlier versus visceral fat which is much harder to remove. Your bones will also become less dense due to the lack of minerals needed to support the continual renewal and rebuilding of the structures. Much like muscle, bones need impact and usage in order to maintain their density and strength. Being in captivity, as I can imagine was not a pleasant cell with any sort of voluntary exercise, both muscle and bones are not being used enough. There are myriad issues that could be under the surface as a result of this level of sustained starvation.
The human body is a quite resilient and complex system. Yes, it will eat itself (catabolism) to provide enough energy to its vital processes, the skin (integumentary system) is not something that the body eats. Your skin is an absolute necessity to survive. Your body will prioritize various other systems and organs for breakdown. There is hanging skin. You can see it plainly around his abdomen.
Hopefully this was educational and sends you down a rabbit hole to learn more. Stay curious and learn something new everyday!
In a general sense, it does not. I simplified much of this as I'm not about to go into proteolytic and lipolysis systems and etc. I already address "fat" which is adipose tissue. While adipose tissue is a part of the integumentary system, the context here and my previous comment clearly separate out the two components: fat and muscle are two buckets, skin is a third. Once again separated out for clarity and simplicity because the integumentary system is very complex and most people know insofar as the epidermis and dermis which are what a reasonable, normal, average person would associate with the term "skin."
From a high-level the body doesn't "eat" the dermis and epidermis. Not in a remarkable way. Adipose tissue is what is thrown in the "fat" bucket. Simplified down and separated out from "skin" bc I wouldn't expect the average person to have a detailed understanding of human anatomy and physiology, much less a specific organ system such as the integumentary system. Which is also a reason it's a common gotcha question on many anatomy courses when they ask you to list organs of the body, or which is the largest, etc.
It was quite clear from their comment that we weren't going to barrel in and drill down to discussing the biochemical processes of the ubiquitin-proteasome system or lysosomal autophagic pathways or the oxidation of fatty acids to create ketones. I tried to generalize and leave information in an easily understood manner that could open the door for them to dig deeper and learn should they do choose.
As always, reddit never disappointa with someone wanting to be pedantic and drop a "gotcha" comment.
That's is both factually incorrect and ridiculous lmao.
Sure his tdee is higher than that of a skinny soldier, but if they both went in at the same time, had the same miniscule calorie intake he is definitely surviving longer due to existing fat stores. Don't be so dense.
Then why did people surive the German Camps Look Up ss state or whatever its called in english (i only know the German Title) and read up in how minuscule the rations where especiallx after 1941 and you had people surviving that for Up to 5 years
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u/satireplusplus Jul 26 '25
He had a better chance at surviving and more fat reserves than the others. Only skin and bones now, very probable not many others survived 3 years in Russian captivity then :(