Michel Dominique Lotitoknown as Monsieur Mangetoutwas a French showman – born in Grenoble in 1950 – known for having eaten during his 56 years of life: 18 bicycles, 15 shopping trolleys, 7 televisions, 6 chandeliers and… a Cessna 150 light aircraft. All real, not chocolate or marzipan reproductions but a mix of iron, glass and rubber. Mr. Eat-It-All suffered from an eating disorder called pica which leads individuals to compulsively consume inedible objects. This condition, combined with a unique physiology, allowed him to win the Guinness World Records for the strangest diet in the world.
Michel Lotito’s diet: from 18 bicycles to a Cessna 150 plane
In 1959, at the age of 9, Michel Lotito discovered he possessed a bizarre ability: he could eat anything without suffering any consequences. It all started when a glass broke in front of him and, instinctively, he began to chew the fragments. Over the years his diet became enriched with non-nutritive materials, leading him to ingest over 900 grams of metal per day. Monitored by doctors and gastroenterologistsx-rays revealed that ‘Mr Eater’ possessed an unusually thick-walled stomach and intestine. This characteristic protected him from injuries from sharp metal, while his extremely powerful gastric juices managed to dissolve what he ingested. Surprisingly, he never encountered any problems even in the ejection phase.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Frenchman – who died in June 2007 from natural causes – consumed over 9 tons of metal in his life, seasoned with rubber, glass and other materials present in:
- 18 bicycles
- 15 shopping carts
- 7 televisions
- 6 chandeliers
- 2 beds
- 1 pair of skis
- 1 computer
- 1 Cessna 150 light aircraft
To complete the ingestion of the entire plane, Lotito took two years, from 1978 to 1980. “Monsieur Mangetout’s” method consisted of reducing the metal components into small fragments, ingesting mineral oil and large quantities of water to facilitate swallowing. According to the stories, the showman ate it too brass plaque awarded to him for the record of strangest diet in the world. The video of Guinness World Records below, which traces his history, portrays him during his unusual meals and shows images of his digestive system, where the pieces of metal inside are clearly visible.
What is pica, the rare eating disorder
As reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) el’ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders), pica is an eating disorder characterized by the persistent and compulsive ingestion of non-nutritive and non-food substances. Among these we find earth, clay, plaster, paper, ice, hair, paint and metal.
For this condition to be diagnosed, the behavior must last for at least a month. Furthermore, ingestion must be inappropriate for the individual’s developmental level (this does not apply to very young children who explore the world with their mouths) and must not be part of a culturally or socially accepted practice.
There is no single cause for pica, but the disorder is often associated with nutritional deficiencies (such as lack of iron or zinc), psychiatric conditions (intellectual disabilities, autism, schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder), pregnancy or environmental contexts of stress, abandonment and poverty.
Unlike the unique case of Michel Lotito, for most people untreated pica results serious medical risks: gastrointestinal problems (such as blockages, perforations or the formation of bezoars), poisoning, parasitic infections and tooth damage.
