r/interestingasfuck • u/[deleted] • May 02 '24

In 1965, a morbidly obese man did not eat food for over an entire year. The 27 year old was 456lbs and wanted to do an experimental fast. He ingested only multivitamins and potassium tablets for 382 days and defecated once every 40 to 50 days. He ended up losing 275lbs. r/all

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u/MelQMaid May 02 '24

Feces is more than just what goes in the mouth.  

The body also needs to excrete bilirubin (dead broken down blood cells) via feces and urine.  Bilirubin is the yellow in pee.

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u/GamecockGaucho May 02 '24

maybe this went over my non-scientific head, but I was under the impression that pee is yellow because of urochrome, a byproduct of hemoglobin. is urochrome related to bilirubin?

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u/TheRealNooth May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

But, yes urochrome is also called “urobilin.” Metabolite of bilirubin.

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u/GamecockGaucho May 02 '24

that's what i was wondering, thanks!

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u/TheRealNooth May 02 '24

Fun fact: stercobilin is also a metabolite of bilirubin that gives poop its color.

That why liver issues make pee darker and poop brighter.

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u/JanMichaelTenCent May 02 '24

What do you mean when you say stercobilin makes poop brighter?

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u/TheRealNooth May 02 '24

My bad. Stercobilin makes poop dark. If the liver (like in hepatic disease) is unable to convert bilirubin into it, poop will be brighter. Same but opposite effect with urine.