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Fasting regenerates the immune system?

Messages
78
Location
Alberta, Canada
I came across the following article that reports on a study from the University of Southern California which found that fasting for three days can regenerate the entire immune system:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science...ys-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study/

I don't know much about the scientific mechanisms of the types of ailments dealt with on these forums, but I've seen autoimmunity come up a lot and for myself I know that I seem to be dealing with some sort of autoimmune issue based on a very high Cunningham Panel result (testing done with Dr. Kaufman). Therefore, this study really intrigues me and has made me curious about fasting. I'd be really tempted to try the three day fast (but first I need to do some more reading about fasting hah...).

Do any of you have thoughts on this? Have any of you fasted for an extended period of time?
 

BadBadBear

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Rocky Mountains
I have serious questions as to the safety of 'breaking down' the bodies WBC pool via fasting and expecting it to rebuild a healthy new one in the face of chronic infection, which many of us seem to have. I feel terrible when I have tried fasting and it makes me feel much worse. YMMV.
 

Sundancer

Senior Member
Messages
569
Location
Holland
I will not do a fast because I know that fasting can let go the liverphase 1 faster. And it is already going too fast making me ill.

plus, for my body, I know from experience that I very quickly become too thin, then lose my appetite ( I am a small eater, bit too slender, always trouble to keep my weight up)
When my weight goes under the 60kg I'm in deep trouble. I've had that thrice before, once with hospital needed because weight was running down south very quickly)

so happy that i've got my weight on 67 kg now, gives me some leeway in case i get a virus.

the Indian way of thinking says that fasting is good for certain people, but not all. (So I belong to the ' not all group :D)
 

rel8ted

Senior Member
Messages
451
Location
Usa
My doc is recommending all patients watch "The Power of Fasting" on amazon prime. I have a lot of difficulty on a 24 hour fast, but do ok with intermittent fasting. That is probably due to the fact that by the time I get up shower and eat breakfast, it's almost the end of my day anyhow :rolleyes:
 
Messages
27
My doc is recommending all patients watch "The Power of Fasting" on amazon prime. I have a lot of difficulty on a 24 hour fast, but do ok with intermittent fasting. That is probably due to the fact that by the time I get up shower and eat breakfast, it's almost the end of my day anyhow :rolleyes:
I came across the following article that reports on a study from the University of Southern California which found that fasting for three days can regenerate the entire immune system:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science...ys-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study/

I don't know much about the scientific mechanisms of the types of ailments dealt with on these forums, but I've seen autoimmunity come up a lot and for myself I know that I seem to be dealing with some sort of autoimmune issue based on a very high Cunningham Panel result (testing done with Dr. Kaufman). Therefore, this study really intrigues me and has made me curious about fasting. I'd be really tempted to try the three day fast (but first I need to do some more reading about fasting hah...).

Do any of you have thoughts on this? Have any of you fasted for an extended period of time?

i’m currently trying a 3 day fast (just entering day 3), and so far I like how it feels. Tomorrow I’ll find out how refeeding will go, and how I feel post-fast.
 

gbells

Improved ME from 2 to 6
Messages
1,491
Location
Alexandria, VA USA
I don't like the idea of fasting for ME patients because our mitochondria can't burn fat. When you fast you are living off of your own fat stores so you end up with a bunch of unmetabolized fat. It seems like this could aggravate atherosclerosis and heart disease.
 
Messages
27
I don't like the idea of fasting for ME patients because our mitochondria can't burn fat. When you fast you are living off of your own fat stores so you end up with a bunch of unmetabolized fat. It seems like this could aggravate atherosclerosis and heart disease.

would you please provide a reference to more information about the inability of mitochondria to process fatty acids? I have been on keto and carnivore diets for years, because I have genetic problems with processing carbohydrates (results in excess quinolinic acid, more brain fog). Earlier this year I had an OAT test that showed a defect in mitochondrial processing of fatty acids, and I’d like to learn more. I was hoping that encouraging autophagy through fasting might help to clean up the toxic byproducts leftover from this faulty process.
 

gbells

Improved ME from 2 to 6
Messages
1,491
Location
Alexandria, VA USA
EBV upregulates Nf-kB which prevents the Citric Acid cycle (aerobic metabolism) of fats. You can see it here where downregulating Nf-kB enhances fat metabolism. Same thing just reversed.

(Yu X, Meng X, Xu M, Zhang X, Zhang Y, Ding G, Huang S, Zhang A, Jia Z. Celastrol ameliorates cisplatin nephrotoxicity by inhibiting NF-κB and improving mitochondrial function. EBioMedicine. 2018 Oct;36:266-280. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.09.031. Epub 2018 Sep 27. PMID: 30268831; PMCID: PMC6197337. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30268831/)
 
Messages
70
A few years ago I did a few 3-day fasts because of this research. I didn't feel great doing it, but I felt better for a few days after. I quit doing them because I was mild enough to get a full time job and handling mild me/cfs with a job was enough to handle, without adding fasting.

I have always meant to try again but life keeps getting in the way. When Covid-19 is over I will try again but for now I am not doing anything to intentionally weaken my immune system in the short run. I am in remission from ME/CFS but I'm curious if it will help MCAS.
 

xebex

Senior Member
Messages
840
I did a 3 day fast, be VERY careful, I gave myself mild refeeding syndrome and ended up in the ER to get fluids. It did nothing for my ME, but fasting does help when I get migraines for days, but a 24 hour one is enough.