Hunger makes you sharper?

[mightymads]

My friend had no breakfast himself, for it was one of his peculiarities that in his more intense moments he would permit himself no food, and I have known him presume upon his iron strength until he has fainted from pure inanition. “At present I cannot spare energy and nerve force for digestion,” he would say in answer to my medical remonstrances. (NORW)

Holmes’s propensity to starve himself while on a case is well-known. What surprised me, though, that it might be scientifically justified.

I watched a BBC documentary called Eat, Fast, Live Longer (2012) by Michael Mosley, a journalist with a medical background. There he consulted a number of experts on nutrition and aging. Among those was Professor Mark P. Mattson from National Institute on Aging, Baltimore.



Here’s a transcript of the documentary fragment:

When they examined the brains of the fasting mice, they found something extraordinary. These green objects are newborn brain cells. Sporadic bouts of hunger actually trigger new neurones to grow.



Michael: “Why should a brain start to generate new nerve cells when you stop eating?”

Mark: “If you think about it in evolutionary terms, it makes sense that if you’re hungry, you’d better increase your cognitive ability. That will give you a survival advantage if you can remember where location of the food is and so on.”



It seems like fasting stresses your gray matter the way the exercise stresses your muscles.

Michael: “So hunger really does make you sharper.”

Mark: “Yes. We think so.”

It’s amazing that ACD appears to have had some notion about it in the 19th century and weaved it into Holmes’s image. Discovering such things about the canon is really fun.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

Of course, at some point things must tip - Holmes faints from lack of food, the mouse starves. But yes, eat a large meal and you feel sluggish and need time to digest the food.

[mightymads]

I wonder what was it—pure common sense and observation of “lunch coma” or there was indeed some research as early as the late 19th century. The 5:2 diet which Mosley praises is believed to be a fad.

For me personally it has always been difficult to understand how fasting can make you think faster. When I’m hungry, I tend to be irritable, lack energy, and can think of nothing except food XD

[smallhobbit]

I know I'm less productive at work just before lunch and therefore will stop and eat - although if there's a small task, telling myself I can have lunch after I've completed it is remarkably effective!

[mightymads]

I should try that!

[trobadora]

Wow, this is fascinating!

[mightymads]

Starting to watch that documentary, I didn’t expect to find there some connection to Holmes XD

[mightymads]

Same here, when I’m hungry I find it very hard to focus and exert energy.

Thankfully Watson is always there to look after Holmes and prevent any lasting damage from bouts of starvation. I’m rather tempted now, though, to write a fic about Holmes fainting from hunger and Watson fussing about him.

[rachelindeed]

I've always fondly remembered this little slice of life story about precisely that, written ten years ago now in the BBC Sherlock 'verse: The Rational Machine by solsticezero.

[mightymads]

Thank you for the link! I read and enjoyed it. For a clever and logical man Sherlock has his share of foolishness and illogic. And of course Mycroft cares, although his method is creepy. Thanks heaven there’s John :)

[tei]

This is really cool!

[mightymads]

Yeah, interesting, isn’t it? :)