The Minnesota Starvation Experiment was conducted by Ancel Keys in 1944-1945. The experiment studied the effects of starvation on the human body with the goal of helping the Allied forces provide relief to victims of malnutrition during world War II.

The study details the physical and psychological effects of prolonged starvation in previously healthy men. These men all developed physical and psychological symptoms usually seen in patients suffering from anorexia nervosa. The study suggests that many of the the cognitive distortions of anorexia are symptoms of severe malnutrition, not pre-existing factors that triggered the illness.