“Pemmican”, 1961-03-01 (; similar):
An emergency ration of pemmican provides 1,000 calories a day; adaptation to resulting starvation persists for at least a week and reduces physiological disturbances during a second starvation period.
…These studies suggest that the acceptance of a survival ration, which of necessity must be an unusual diet, can be enhanced by prior consumption of the ration. The work reemphasizes the fact that metabolic and physiological adaptations to semistarvation can occur. Whether this adaptation is also associated with psychological adjustments which permit the individual to withstand the rigors of a reduced food intake is not apparent from these reports. Additional work in the latter area would certainly be desirable and might offer suggestions as to how an obese individual might best adapt himself to the rigors of a reducing diet.
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