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A popular story immortalized in the weird fact genre of memes concerns a Scottish man (given the identity Mr. A.B. by researchers) who fasted for one year and 17 days, successfully losing 276 pounds in the process. A popular online summary of this feat, taken from Weird Facts, reads as follows: Surprisingly, this is essentially an accurate statement of fact. A 1973 case report described Mr. A.B.’s dramatic (and Guinness Book of World Records-worthy) effort to lose weight through starvation: Indeed, even the aside about Mr. A. B.’s highly intermittent bowel movements is factual. According to the case report, evacuation was ... infrequent, there being 37-48 days between stools. Mr. A. B.’s case was highlighted by Australian science personality Dr. Karl Kruszelnick, who explained in a 2012 post on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's science website that stored fat can indeed serve to fuel a body in the absence of other food: This is not to say that extreme fasting comes without risk. As a treatment for obesity, prolonged fasting was fairly common in the 1960s and 70s, but it fell out of favor after reports of serious complications and sometimes deaths attributed to the practice. More recent research has suggested the practice could be safe in doctor-supervised treatments, assuming the patient meets certain medical criteria beforehand. Mr. A. B. began his treatment in the hospital, but he completed most of his fast at home, testing his blood glucose and urine regularly. In response to the results of those tests, the doctors occasionally added other non-caloric supplements to his vitamin regime, including potassium supplements and sodium supplements, to correct for deficiencies. Mr. A. B. has never been identified publicly, though he was thanked by the authors of the case report for his cheerful co-operation and steadfast application to the task of achieving a normal physique.
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