[ricbritain (OP)]

Has anyone got any idea or opinion on the current media story about an Indian mystic who claims not to have eaten for 70 years.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100510/tod-starving-yogi-astounds-indian-scient-451ab4f.html [nofollow]

I think it has to be bunk and said so when my wife told me of the story last week. However the story has returned and now claims that the guru has been monitored in an Indian facility for the past two weeks and has not eaten. My thoughts are that Indian facility's are not to be trusted in such matters, but who knows.

Anyway, I would be interested an in anyone else's opinion.

[emilykiles]

I would think this is a hoax. Yoga is known to lower one's metabolism rate. But to lower metabolic rate to such an extent that one can survive 70 years without food is plainly unbelievable.

[JordanRHughes]

Highly impossible.

Unless he's getting protein from some unmentionable sources...

[Bored chemist]

It looks like this dangerous nonsense
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmuheen

[JordanRHughes]

It looks like this dangerous nonsense
newbielink:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmuheen [nonactive]

that article states that she couldn't last either. non-sense. Even I could go longer then that.
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newbielink:http://bookit.com/caribbean/ [nonactive]
newbielink:http://bookit.com/us/new-york/new-york-city/ [nonactive]

[ccheric]

Do an energy balance ^^! Draw an imaginary membrane around him and see what goes in and what comes out.
Say you don't do anything physically, the human brain takes about 500 calories a day to run. He must have a source of energy in order to stay conscious.

Also, I don't know if it consists of a play in words. You don't eat solid food, fine, you can still get all the nutrients and calories in liquid form and drink it:)
I guess nobody/laws of physics is preventing that from happening.

(if it is true, we would have known it 69.5 yrs ago, when he had not eaten anything for 6 months!! Why publicize now?)

[Geezer]

The same gent can also unscrew his navel. When he does, his butt falls off.