Research paper
Palmblad J, Levi L, Burger A, Melander A, Westgren U, von Schenck H, Skude G. Effects of total energy withdrawal (fasting) on the levels of growth hormone, thyrotropin, cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline, T4, T3, and rT3 in healthy males. Acta Med Scand. 1977;201(1-2):15-22.
Why we cite it
An early mapping of the hormonal response to complete fasting in humans, measuring eight hormones across 10 days in **12 healthy, normal-weight males** — the sample and its sex are stated in the held abstract and were missing from this record until 2026-09-02. The key insight is that fasting triggers a coordinated adaptive response — growth hormone surges, thyroid metabolism shifts to conserve energy (T3 drops, rT3 rises), and adrenaline increases to maintain function — rather than the metabolic shutdown seen with chronic caloric restriction. This distinction is foundational for the project's argument that fasting and dieting produce fundamentally different physiological responses.
DOI: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1977.tb15648.x · PubMed 835366 · Publisher