I am wondering, out of pure curiosity, whether with current medical & biological

Question

I am wondering, out of pure curiosity, whether with current medical & biological science, (or indeed with accepted probable future developments in those areas), in theory, would it be possible to create an injection of vitamins, minerals, sugars etc so that eating was no longer necessary, and in fact, an average life with average energy usage could be continued?

I am not a biological professional nor academic, so apologies if this is on the wrong Stack Exchange site, however I thought this was closest to the mark. If there is somewhere more appropriate please direct me, and I shall delete the question and post it there.

Also, if no, would there be certain parts that you couldn't replicate in an injection or something of the like?

NB: This doesn't have to be an injection, any simple method of ingesting or attaining everything the body needs. This could be a pill, or anything. I simply used an injection as an example.

Thank-you very much.

Explanation / Answer

The quantity of nutrients the body requires takes much more physical space than can be included in a simple pill or injection (used only a few times a day). But nutrition can be provided by IV (intravenous administration), and it is used today for some medical conditions. When the IV completely substitutes for normal digestion, it is called total parenteral nutrition (or TPN). The procedure is simple and reliable enough that it can sometimes be used outside of a hospital setting and be self-administered by users at home.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.