morbid question

[yahtzee63]

What kind of vitamins and minerals are in people? Does a cannibal get his daily allowance of Vitamin A? Potassium? No, I don't know why I'm wondering about this, nor why I feel confident that someone on my flist will know. I promise not to ask HOW you know

Comments

[marinarusalka]

Note to self: next time yahtzee63 invites you over for dinner, suggest a vegetarian restaurant instead.

Boo on the bruised leg. Yay for reasonable new supervisor!

[yahtzee63]

I'm not designing a personal diet plan. Just curious!

And you should be headed this way soon, yes?

[marinarusalka]

Yep, I'll be in town at the end of the month. Did you get my e-mail?

[yahtzee63]

I did not! I am now at yahtzee63 at gmail dot com.

[lyra_sena]

The bruise is spawning!!!

What kind of vitamins and minerals are in people? Does a cannibal get his daily allowance of Vitamin A? Potassium?

... and I spent a night alone with you?!!? *rethinks plan*

[yahtzee63]

Bwa hah hah --

[kerlin]

I don't have any details, I'm afraid, but there was a s1 CSI episode about a woman who ate other people's livers to help cure herself of porphyria. Something about consuming blood replaced essential vitamins and/or minerals. My DVDs are out on loan or I could check.

Blood has a great deal of iron, and bone marrow has been relatively common as a dietary supplement for protein and certain kinds of fats.

[izhilzha]

Iirc, blood also has a good deal of sodium, though I'd have to check on that.

Now I'm curious about how much potassium we have, because I know too much will cause cardiac arrest....

[demonbrat_98]

I read a book about one of those cases where people resorted to cannibalism to survive (I think it was The Tragedy of the Whale Ship Essex) where it said that cannibalism is actually very beneficial when it comes to surviving because you are eating everything that the human body needs to stay alive. In this case, the saying "you are what you eat" is literally true.

Jenn

[yahtzee63]

That actually makes a whole lot of sense, come to think of it. And the book sounds fascinating.

[bentleywg]

maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but maybe close enough (and a damn good excuse to post this link): Elemental Composition of the Human Body.

[yahtzee63]

Ooooh, nifty. Thanks.