In this week’s podcast, we discuss protein poisoning, also known as rabbit starvation.
Rabbit starvation is an observation made when North American explorers ate nothing but rabbit meat and suffered several consequences including hunger and death. It did not matter how much rabbit they ate either. They could have a full stomach and still have symptoms.
This is not limited to rabbits, however. Eating nothing but lean meat will result in the same symptoms. It is observed when protein makes up 45% or more of the calories in the diet. Rabbit meat is 60% protein and 40% fat.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms include:
- hunger
- diarrhea
- headache
- low blood pressure
- nausea, fatigue
- slow heart rate
- death
What is the mechanism?
There is little scientific research on this topic outside of observations.
When the body breaks down protein, nitrogen is released, forming NH3 or ammonia. This is poisonous to the body. The body can convert ammonia into urea and excrete it through the urine via the urea cycle. This is the only way our body can get rid of excess ammonia (nitrogen).
What Happens When You Have Too Much Ammonia In The Body
The cycle that is used to eliminate ammonia from the body is called the urea cycle.
So if the problem with rabbit starvation is the build up of harmful nitrogen byproducts, then the obvious place to look is the urea cycle. Something is happening there that isn’t allowing the body to fully process protein.
If you’re interested in learning more about protein poisoning, then listen to this week’s podcast.