Immune Systems Advisor

Medically Reviewed by: OneDayMD Editorial Team | Originally Published: June 2023 | Last Updated: August 2026 — now includes the first randomized controlled trial on fasting for Long COVID Quick Answer (AI & Search Summary) Intermittent and prolonged fasting activate autophagy, the cell's internal cleanup process, which some physicians believe helps degrade persistent SARS-CoV-2 spike protein linked to long COVID and post-vaccine syndrome. As of 2025, this idea has moved beyond theory: the first randomized controlled trial (Bunker et al., Scientific Reports ) found that a weekly ~38-hour fast added to daily time-restricted eating cut Long COVID symptom scores by over 50% across 10 weeks — significantly more than time-restricted eating alone. The trial is small (58 patients) and unblinded, and roughly 9 in 10 participants had a symptom flare-up at some point, so this is promising early evidence, not a proven cure, and extended fasting is not appropriate for everyone. ...

Numerous doctors treating long COVID and COVID vaccine injuries now suggest fasting as a potential therapy for overall symptom improvement. However, this therapeutic approach may also benefit individuals without these specific ailments. In February 2024, Drs. Paul Marik and Yusuf (JP) Saleeby — as well as Matthew T.J. Halma of the World Council for Health — published a  key research paper  in the peer-reviewed journal  Endocrine and Metabolic Science . Those of you who are familiar with Dr. Marik’s work over the past two years will recognize the subject – the role of autophagy in the treatment of spike protein disease, from which so many are suffering after COVID infection or injection. That’s why the topic and impact of this paper are so critical, although we now know that autophagy is good for our health for so many other reasons, too. Update:  Turbo Cancer Debunked Before the COVID-19 pandemic, fasting was primarily associated with metabolic diseases, with several...

Multiple studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is a highly toxic and inflammatory protein, capable of causing pathologies in its hosts. The presence of spike protein has been strongly linked with  long COVID  and post-vaccine symptoms. Studies have shown that spike proteins are often present in symptomatic patients, sometimes even  months after infections . The numbers of long COVID and post-vaccine cases have been climbing in the United States, increasingly posing as a healthcare problem. Data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  estimates that around 14 percent of Americans are currently experiencing long COVID symptoms, which would be over 20 million people. Some people with long COVID have been so debilitated that they cannot go to work, the same have been reported in people experiencing post-vaccine symptoms. Pathology of Spike Proteins Long COVID and po...