Muluwork Ambaw claims to have not eaten or drank in 16 years (YouTube/@drewbinsky)
In terms of records, the longest time someone has survived without food was 382 days, set by a chap called Angus Barbieri from the UK in the 1960s as a form of extreme weight loss we absolutely do not recommend.
According to Guinness World Records, the longest time someone has lasted without either food or water is 18 days.
That was set by Andreas Mihavecz, from Austria, after he was arrested and police forgot about him, all assuming someone else had released him.
Poor Andreas only managed to survive by licking condensation off the walls.
With these figures in mind, it’s pretty astonishing that Muluwork Ambaw says she hasn’t eaten for over a decade – yet still remains fit and healthy.
As to why? She says she simply hasn’t had an appetite.
Based in Ethiopia, Muluwork was visited by YouTuber Drew Binsky who got wind of her unique story.
Sharing when she first started feeling less hungry, Muluwork told Drew: “I used to live with my family, and they asked me to eat breakfast and go to school.
“I said I had eaten but I was pretending. I had lost my appetite for water or for any food.”
Dozens of people corroborated Muluwork’s story to Drew (@drewbinsky/YouTube)
With her fasting in mind, she’s not needed to use the toilet in all this time.
“The only reason I go to the bathroom is when I need to wash my body,” Muluwork revealed. “I haven’t used the toilet for 16 years.”
When being given a tour of the local village, Drew asked several people if the rumours were true about Muluwork’s diet (or lack of it), to which they all confirmed it to be.
With her extraordinary situation in mind, Muluwork has undergone several tests by healthcare professionals to try work out why she doesn’t eat.
Some of the tests that done at a hospital in Addis Ababa confirmed that there was no evidence of any food in her intestines at the time of one of her examinations.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister also heard about Muluwork’s condition, and sent her to Dubai for more medical examinations.
According to her, they found nothing wrong.
While most people wouldn’t enjoy not being able to eat and drink, Muluwork says she’s ‘thankful’ for it, so much so the religious mum-of-one prays to God to express her gratitude.
When asked why she thinks God might have given her the unique condition, Muluwork told Drew: “I have nothing to say. It’s God’s work and I just accept that.”
Drew concluded his YouTube video, which was posted last month, saying that Muluwork is ‘either a superhuman or the most talented liar of all time’.