The Livelong Newsletter

Hi Everyone,

Fasting is often seen in the binaries of good versus bad, which can make it difficult to keep an open mind. But in the gray area between these two extremes, there is lots of potential. ⚖️

One such way is by using fasting to manage autoimmune conditions—with reports that it even reverses symptoms.

In this article:

• The impact of fasting on disease

• The hard road to treating autoimmune conditions

• Will fasting work for multiple sclerosis? Lupus?

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Diet + Nutrition

Fasting for autoimmune disease

Fasting is already used as an effective lifestyle tool for weight loss, increased energy, better sleep and metabolism. 💯 

It is also being used as a tool to reverse or manage chronic diseases (the umbrella term for any long-lasting health condition) such as type two diabetes, which are risk factors for decreased health span and lifespan.

Autoimmune diseases, which are a subset of chronic diseases, are much harder to treat, although lifestyle-based interventions like fasting shows promise in alleviating (and even reversing) symptom.

💰 The best part: It’s accessible, affordable, and preventative.

The autoimmune problem

There are 80+ known autoimmune diseases, which include type 1 diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic urticaria, mixed connective-tissue disease, glomerulonephritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia.

• Autoimmune disease arises when the immune system, meant to ward off infection and external threats, accidentally attacks healthy cells, tissues, and organs. 

Aging — rather, immune aging — is a significant risk factor for autoimmune disease, explain experts in Seminars in Immunology.

How is immune aging a risk factor?

• 👇 Immune strength diminishes with age. This makes it harder to rally the troops to fight microbial infections and tumors.

• 🔥 We accrue more toxic and aged forms of T-cells. This contributes to “low grade, sterile and chronic inflammatory state (inflammaging).”

♀️Being a biological female is also a risk factor

A staggering 80% of people with autoimmune conditions are women. This is partly because hormones change immune response after pregnancy and menopause, and it could be partly genetic.

Right now, there is no cure for autoimmune conditions.

Most people get by with expensive and invasive therapies to manage their conditions (insulin for type 1 diabetes, immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy, and experimental drugs).

This doesn’t usually guarantee better quality of life.

Stacking the evidence

Most evidence on fasting for autoimmune disease consists of studies looking at intermittent fasting (IF; fasting for a specific window of time) and water-only fasting.

Dr. Michael Greger, an acclaimed physician, author, and upcoming speaker at the Livelong Experience, says fasting and diet might be capable of reversing symptoms caused by autoimmune conditions.

Fasting can generally improve autoimmune conditions by 1) reducing inflammation and 2) triggering cellular repair. 🔨

🧯 In a recent study, IF reduced inflammation and improved patient gut microbiomes. It also triggered autophagy, a biological trash service that gets rid of damaged cells so that healthy cells can regenerate. 🗑️

• Autophagy is stimulated when the body is in a state of scarcity (i.e., no food).

💤 In an earlier study from 2019, researchers also noticed that IF puts inflammatory cells into “sleep mode.” When they are less active, they are less likely to cause further damage to the body.

Don’t miss out! Sign up for our FREE virtual event with Dr. Michael Greger

Michael Greger will be joining Livelong on January 23 at 12:00 p.m. ET for a 1-hour virtual intensive on eating for healthy aging.

The first part of the intensive will discuss his new book (How Not To Age Cookbook) and the science of eating for anti-aging. The second half is devoted to answering your questions.

Get the link here.

📩 Send us your questions for Dr. Greger and we’ll select some for him to answer.

We’re so excited for you to join us! 

Rheumatoid Arthritis

On a case-by-case basis, IF has the most clinical evidence for rheumatoid arthritis, a joint-related autoimmune condition. 

💦 Case reports show that patients who complete a water-only fast followed by a plant-based diet can reverse pain and stiffness with long-lasting results, according to Greger.

• Diet may be an important part of the healing, as “most patients relapse on reintroduction of food” authors write. 

In one clinical trial, a water-only fast that progressed to a gluten-free vegan diet and, finally, a lactovegetarian diet, considerably lowered inflammatory markers and kept them down.

• Patients experienced a “significant reduction in pain, morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, and the number of tender and swollen joints,” Greger writes.*

There’s evidence that clinical fasting can treat many other autoimmune conditions as well.

Osteoarthritis

Greger also discusses a small German study which found that fasting significantly improves pain and joint function.

Lupus

A woman reportedly experienced one year without symptoms after doing a four-day, water-only fast, followed by a plant-based diet. When symptoms returned, she did a seven-day fast and experienced relief again.

Mixed connective-tissue disease

A single case study shows that fasting for 21 days took a woman off her medications, Greger writes.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

In one study, patients did a fasting mimicking diet—eating an 800-calorie-a-day diet (fruit, rice, or potatoes)—followed by one week of sipping flaxseed oil and vegetable broth.

• 🥬 After the modified fast, they transitioned to a plant-based Mediterranean diet. 

Within three months, they experienced significantly better quality of life, Greger says.

There’s also evidence that three days of a fasting mimicking diet (‘fake fasting’) can reduce symptom severity in mice. In fact, 20% of mice experienced complete symptom reversal!

• In this study, FMD followed by a ketogenic diet was also associated with better outcomes.

Fasting reboots the hard drive

Experts liken the effects of fasting to fixing a computer.

“[It] is very similar to rebooting the hard drive in a computer,” says the author of a study published in Integrative Medicine. 🔄

• “Sometimes, the computer gets corrupted and you do not know exactly where the problem is. But if you just turn it off and reboot it, a lot of times, that corruption gets cleared out.”

There’s a lot of hopeful research surrounding fasting as a therapeutic tool for autoimmune disease, aging, and longevity, and I can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.

_{*Greger notes that we cannot discredit the power of the placebo effect, which could impact effectiveness of fasting.}

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS

Can you prevent autoimmune disease?

Not yet. However, there are theories that it may stem from the gut, so prioritizing gut health might help.

• Eat fiber, probiotic-rich foods, and prebiotics (they feed probiotics, which feed healthy gut bacteria).

• Limit excess sugar, salt, alcohol, and saturated fat.

• Get daily exercise and movement. 

When, and if, autoimmune disease has a genetic component, getting a genetic test could help identify your risk of autoimmune disease.

Longevity Media LLC

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