October 25

How to prevent viral infections by fasting

Health

A lot of research shows that supporting our immune system is the best way to avoid or at least get through an illness with as few symptoms as possible.

But how should you go about it if you want to do more than taking the high doses of vitamins C and D that are recommended everywhere on the internet?

The title of this article must have you wondering why fasting can be effective in preventing viral infections. To understand this, let's first take a look, without any medical jargon, at what happens in our bodies when we encounter a pathogen!

What does the virus do?

When SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus infection, enters the human body, it tries to bind to a receptor located mainly on the cells of the air sacs (alveoli) in our lungs.

The viruses then take control of your body in an insidious way. It's like they take over your organism and turn it to their own advantage. After binding, the virus introduces its genetic material into the cells of your body and begins to control it, while at the same time causing significant damage.

And what does it use your body for? To replicate the viral material, so that there is even more of it in your organism.

What does your immune system do in response?

The infection causes your immune system to kick in and increases the inflammatory substances in our body.

If this immune process over-activates and the amount of inflammatory substances is not reduced in time, you develop pneumonia, which causes most problems. It can lead to pulmonary oedema, breathing difficulties and oxygen deprivation, followed by multi-organ failure, and thus to death.

But there is our built-in cellular surveillance system: autophagy!

Fortunately, your body has a safety system, which is called autophagy. It works by means of the lysosome, which performs cellular digestion. This lysosome destroys and recycles invading pathogens. It then presents the invading virus to your immune system so that it can fight it more effectively the next time it encounters it.

It also plays an important role in keeping the inflammation that builds up in the immune system at an appropriate level.

When is this autophagy most active?

Autophagy protects us when we are at our most vulnerable. This includes times of starvation! In fact, it's when it works most effectively!

It recycles the invaders it has ingested, which it then uses to supply nutrients to starving cells.

So, what happens when the invader comes, and the cells are starving?

The autophagy system tries even harder to kill the invader so that it can supply the body with the nutrients it needs. In contrast, under nutrient-rich conditions, the autophagy system may even be inhibited, thus eliminating this type of defence against the virus.

In addition, viruses use the body's energy to replicate, so their infectivity is also reduced by fasting.

This is why fasting is good!

Now you can see how fasting is linked to the prevention of coronavirus infection.

Studies have shown that fasting every week can stimulate autophagy through nutrient deficiency, thus reducing the infectivity of the viruses trying to get into your body. It can even reduce inflammation in the body – and therefore the lungs!

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have found that after fasting for 24 hours, the autophagy process is boosted, meaning that cells destroy pathogens, and fasting for more than 72 hours also acts against immune cells that are not working properly.

Of course, fasting doesn't mean you can't put anything into your system. You definitely need fluids, so you can drink as much clean water as you want throughout the day.

Along with water, you should also get vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support your immune system. Antioxidants are particularly important, as they can reduce the potential stress of fasting and help to neutralise waste products from fasting.

However, it's also important to get these valuable substances into your drinks naturally, and never take artificial pills or drops during fasting, as this will only put a strain on your immune system.

The best sources of antioxidants are berries such as bilberries, elderberries, blackcurrants, and sea buckthorn berries. They have a high mineral and vitamin content and can even help fight viral infections (flavonoids, carotenoids).

Beetroot is also recommended, as it increases the liver's detoxifying capacity during fasting.

However, in autumn, winter and spring it is not easy to get berries, and spinning beetroot for your juice fast is a hassle.

For this reason, I offer you a simple but highly effective solution. Make fasting easier with Orifit and Purfit fruit and vegetable concentrates. Why? Because they retain all the valuable active ingredients, as they are made using a super gentle process. These hunger-and thirst-quenching, cleansing, detoxifying fruit and vegetable concentrates with a tonic effect are nature's true blessings.

They're definitely worth a try, because they offer you the most intensive method of detoxification.

All you need to do is mix one or two sticks of concentrate in a glass of water. If you are looking for an intensive fast, I recommend alternating between the two concentrates every 3 hours during the day (e.g. Orifit at 8am, Purfit at 11am, Orifit at 2am, Purfit at 5am, Orifit at 8am).

For an even more complex detoxification effect, click here to check out our fasting package, which also includes the InnoFit products you need for the 1-day fast as a 🎁 GIFT 🎁.

I encourage you to try fasting with InnoFit products! It is the fastest way to rid your body of toxins. Do whatever it takes to be healthier and more energetic!

Erzsébet Mihalikné Krémer


Health educator and creator of the InnoFit product family