How Fasting Reduces Infection Risks and Accelerates Recovery

Scientists suggest fasting could complement vaccination as a therapy, offering immune support and aiding in controlling hyperinflammation.

Note: This story reflects my research and personal experiences related to immune health. This post does not include health advice. It is only for information and awareness purposes.

Photo byBruno AguirreonUnsplash

In my previous posts, I discussed the advantages of fasting, exploring the many benefits of ketosis for various facets of health. In one of my stories, I asked: What if fasting became a therapeutic tool? The response from subscribers who tried fasting was inspiring. They all gained multiple benefits.

While fasting, the body undergoes remarkable biochemical shifts, including decreased insulin secretion, heightened growth hormone production, optimization of neurotransmitters, initiation of autophagy, activation of stem cell mobilization, immune system enhancement, and promoting a healthier gut microbiome.

In this post, I aim to go beyond the hypotheses by highlighting a few promising studies and my own encounter with COVID-19, shedding light on how fasting can strengthen immune health, combat infectious conditions, and speed up recovery.

Fasting might protect the body from pathogens and their adverse effects.

The most significant benefit of fasting is lowering inflammation through the ketosis process. Molecular mechanisms and clinical fasting applications were well-documented in the Cell Metabolism in 2014. There was a specific mention of inflammation reduction in the body during the fasting period.

The paper stated that “the adaptive cellular responses from fasting can reduce oxidative damage and inflammation, optimize energy metabolism, and bolster cellular protection.”

Also, prolonged fasting extends the lifespan in simpler organisms by altering metabolic and stress response pathways. In animals like rodents, occasional fasting shields against conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders. For humans, it aids in mitigating obesity, hypertension, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers concluded that “fasting has the potential to delay aging and help prevent and treat diseases while minimizing the side effects caused by chronic dietary interventions.”

Fasting can significantly lower glucose and protein levels in the bloodstream, creating an anti-inflammatory effect on the cells. COVID virus causes severe inflammation in the body, breaking homeostasis.

For example, a 2019 study published in Cell informed that “Caloric restriction is known to improve inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the mechanisms by which reduced caloric intake modulates inflammation are poorly understood.”

The authors of this study showed that “short-term fasting reduced monocyte metabolic and inflammatory activity and drastically reduced the number of circulating monocytes. Regulation of peripheral monocyte numbers depended on dietary glucose and protein levels.”

During fasting, the body switches from using glucose to ketones as an energy source. Ketone bodies, like BHP (β-Hydroxybutyrate), have an anti-inflammatory effect on the cells. I documented my research in an article titled Ketosis Can Lower Chronic Inflammation and Improve Metabolic and Mental Health in 6 Ways.

Almost three decades ago, scientists confirmed that “fasting has been reported to quantitatively increase linoleic and arachidonic acids in liver triacylglycerols.”

Research suggests that fatty acids are part of a group of compounds known for their wide-ranging antiviral properties. However, their specific impact on human coronavirus replication remains relatively unknown in the current literature.

For example, a recent study in 2022 published in Nature investigated these fatty acids. The paper’s title is “Linoleic Acid Binds to SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and represses replication of seasonal human coronavirus OC43.”

From the findings, researchers inferred that this study offers fresh insights into how fatty acids exhibit antiviral characteristics against human coronaviruses, encompassing the SARS-CoV-2 strain.

Researchers highlighted linoleic acid’s potential to inhibit RdRp and suggested it as a subject for further investigation. This study suggests that linoleic acid impedes the virus, hindering its entry into cells and tissues.

Until 2020, no review was available proposing intermittent fasting as an encouraging strategy in the prevention of COVID virus.

Therefore, a group of scientists conducted a comprehensive review to highlight the beneficial role of fasting in immunity and autophagy that underlie the possible defense against COVID-19 infection. The paper was published in the Immunology Letters in 2020.

These researchers outlined the COVID-19 pathogenesis and its impact on the host immune response. They aimed to revisit the immunomodulatory potential of intermittent fasting that may constitute a promising preventive approach against COVID-19.

The review paper highlighted that intermittent fasting might prime the host immune system. It can activate autophagy, a cell surveillance system that boosts immunity. Therefore, intermittent fasting may constitute a promising preventive strategy against COVID-19.

In the conclusion section of the paper, reviewers also commented that along with observing intermittent fasting, other health-benefiting practices such as exercise and meditation that help improve immunity are also highly recommended.

As I documented the autophagy and mitophagy benefits of fasting for pathogens, I will not repeat them. Interested readers might review my perspectives in the linked articles.

This study in BMJ’s Nutrition, Prevention, and Health Journal evaluated associations of periodic fasting with COVID-19 severity and, secondarily, initial infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers hypothesized that “Intermittent fasting boosts some host defense mechanisms while modulating the inflammatory response. Lower-frequency fasting is associated with greater survival and lower risk from COVID-19-related comorbidities.”

The research setting was a single-center secondary care facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, with follow-up across a 24-hospital integrated healthcare system.

They studied patients enrolled in the INSPIRE registry in 2013–2020 for the primary outcome if they tested positive for COVID from March 2020 to February 2021 or, for the secondary outcome, if they had any COVID test results.

They asked around 1500 patients about their personal history of routine periodic fasting across their lifespan. The composite outcome of the population occurred in 11% of periodic fasters and 28.8% of non-fasters

Researchers found that routine periodic fasting was associated with a lower risk of hospitalization or mortality in patients with COVID-19.

Therefore, they concluded, “fasting may be a complementary therapy to vaccination that could provide immune support and hyperinflammation control during and beyond the pandemic.”

The study is indicative. However, other studies about the health benefits of fasting and patient anecdotes make the case compelling. Now, I’d like to briefly share my recent experience to support the findings of this study.

My Fasting Experience During COVID Infection

I got exposed to COVID-19 despite my precautions in 2022. As it affected my entire family, I got it from them before their diagnosis. All symptoms manifested, but the effects were much lower for me than other family members, even though they were younger than me.

Gratefully, we were all fully vaccinated at the time. However, in 2021, when my wife had it after her first vaccination, her symptoms were extremely severe. Therefore, we had to hospitalize her. The second time, she recovered faster as she had more vaccines.

Thanks to the contributions of fasting during that time, I recovered in six days. I documented my experience in a story titled Here’s How I Recovered from the Covid Virus Quickly with Five Lifestyle Steps. I also believe intense meditation and mindful stress reduction expedited recovery.

For many years, I’ve practiced intermittent fasting, sticking to a one-meal-a-day routine. This approach has brought me numerous health benefits, notably enhancing my immune system and overall well-being.

Intermittent fasting has notably boosted my body’s defense mechanisms and triggered self-healing processes like autophagy and mitophagy, reducing the presence of pathogens in my system.

In that difficult period, I extended my fasting window from 22 to 46 hours, and it made a remarkable difference. Surprisingly, a family member, inspired by my approach, also fasted during severe symptoms and recovered quicker than others who didn’t fast.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Fasting has been used as a therapeutic tool for centuries in various cultures, including religious and spiritual people following Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Taoism. They use different protocols.

Due to noticeable benefits, scientists also had a great interest in understanding the mechanisms behind the fasting process. Scientific studies have unveiled a cascade of significant biochemical changes occurring during fasting.

These changes include a reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation, initiation of autophagy for cellular renewal, bolstering the body’s defense system, mobilizing stem cells, balancing hormones and neurotransmitters, notably increasing growth hormone levels, lowering glucose and proteins, decreasing insulin secretion, and enhancing gut bacteria.

By harnessing these diverse benefits, fasting can become a potent therapeutic tool against infectious diseases. Its cost-effectiveness and minimal side effects compared to pharmaceuticals further underscore its promise in combating illnesses.

In addition to the viral conditions that I discussed in this article, fasting might improve health conditions like metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders. I summarized them in a previous article.

Fasting can be effortless for some but challenging for others. Having practiced it for decades, it’s become second nature to me, involving a gradual adaptation to utilize stored fat for energy.

Long-term fasting can pose challenges until we achieve metabolic flexibility, transitioning from glucose to fat-burning metabolism. Once our bodies become fat-adapted, fasting can be enjoyable and beneficial for some people, serving as a valuable therapeutic tool for practitioners.

Yet, fasting isn’t suitable for everyone, potentially placing the body under significant stress and interfering with medication. For people with underlying health conditions using a medication, seeking supervision before starting a fasting regimen from qualified healthcare professionals is crucial.

Fasting can also reduce glycotoxins and enhance health and lifespan, as I explained in the attached story on NewsBreak.

How to Deal with AGEs in the Aging Context

To inform my new readers, I wrote numerous articles that might inform and inspire you. My topics include brain and cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, science, technology, business, and humor.

I compile my health and wellness stories on my blog, EUPHORIA. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.