Question: If you eat no fat how long would you survive alive?

Pete Etchells answered on 24 May 2012:

It’s probably quite hard to have a diet with absolutely no fat in it at all, but if you in theory could, you probably wouldn’t survive that long. Fat isn’t just a source of energy; there are things called “essential fatty acids” that the body needs for various biological processes, in particular in terms of creating heart cells. Fat also helps us to absorb various types of vitamins. So if you stopped eating fat and used up all your bodily reserves, first off you would be extremely tired, you might develop dry skin and lose hair. You’d also find it difficult to fight off infections and heal wounds. You might bruise easily, and you wouldn’t grow very well. I don’t know exactly how long you would survive, but it wouldn’t be a very fun time…