Starvation may also cause epigenetic and metabolic changes, which persist and are even passed to next generations. In children tissue dystrophy is particular damaging, since their bodies are still developing. Starvation is a really fucking bad thing.
In many ways, the fear of hunger is deeply ingrained within us as human beings. Our instincts continually drive us to optimize for consumption and survival. Yet, how often do we pause to reflect on how much of our daily lives revolve around thoughts of food or the pursuit of security?
I think this is pretty evident, observing your emotions when someone, a sibling loads up too much in a shared meal. If you ever tried fasting, you realize how much time we spend daily on food intake.
But let's not trivialize the issue. Most certainly, no-one here can even begin to understand starvation from experience. For starters, you would be in a total different state of mind, potentially delusional, disassociated, depressed, abulic, manic, have an altered perception of reality. During the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, participants mutilated themselves, one guy cut off three of his fingers with an axe and didn't remember why... in the rehab phase! Starvation is an holistic horror.
Pretty cynical and tone-deaf comment in this context, in my opinion.
Molecular evidence was notably described in nematodes, so epigenetic inheritance is a very old mechanism. I don't think you could describe molecular transgenerational trauma as beautiful, or useful adaptation regarding human life. Especially considering the artificial nature of every famine in today's world, where we are producing enough food to feed all humans on earth three times over.
