Stock photo. | Photo by stefanamer/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A method of fasting that is also a common to faith-based organizations and their members might be another way to stave off the worst effects of COVID-19, according to a new Utah-based study.

Stock image | Photo by Pheelings Media/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

Researchers with Intermountain Heathcare, the parent of St. George Regional Hospital and Cedar City Hospital, determined in a peer-reviewed study published this week that people who practice intermittent or periodic fasting are more likely to avoid hospitalization or death if they contract COVID-19. This is especially effective if they have been fasting for a period of 24 hours once a month.

The findings come as the latest COVID-19 variant, BA.5, has caused a slight rise in infections and hospitalizations locally in the last two weeks.

The study of 1,500 people who have been regularly practicing intermittent fasting, which has been peer-reviewed, was published in the health journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

Dr. Benjamin Horne, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Healthcare, said in a question posed by St. George News that the data comes from before February 2021, when the COVID-19 vaccines first were becoming available. That means the study participants did not yet have access to the vaccine making the results independent of any effect from vaccines or treatments like Paxlovid that were later developed that have reduced hospitalizations and deaths.

Horne, based at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, said intermittent fasting isn’t a substitute for vaccines and treatments but could be another way to ensure COVID isn’t a death warrant or hospital stay. He added that it could also be a fill-in when vaccines and natural immunity wane.

Dr. Benjamin Horne, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Healthcare, seen during a Zoom teleconference on July 6, 2022. | Zoom screenshot, St. George News

“We don’t want people not to get vaccinated or use other therapies. This is a complementary therapy,” Horne said. “It’s been found that vaccination wanes every six months. It’s not conceivable to vaccinate the entire population every six months. This could be something to fill in the gaps between the boosters.”

According to the study, intermittent fasting has an effect on the body’s immune system that acts similar to the way vaccines and treatments like Paxlovid act to inhibit the ability for the spikes of the virus that causes COVID-19 to bind to cells.

Horne said fasting, especially periodic fasting of 24 hours, causes the body to release stored fatty acids that then attach to the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In other words, the virus acts as a circle ringed with suction cups that attach to cells and the fatty acids stick to those cups so they don’t stick to cells.

Horne also said that while COVID-19 can reduce the effectiveness of the T-cells that give people immunity, fasting can supersede that by boosting the white blood cells, known as neutrophils, which are the first line of defense in the body to fight off infections.

This 2020 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, which cause COVID-19 | Photo by Hannah A. Bullock, Azaibi Tamin/CDC via Associated Press, St. George News

“CoV-2 tries to turn it off, fasting turns it on,” Horne said. “Fasting actually deactivates T-cells and activates other white blood cells not targeted by SARS CoV-2”

Intermittent fasting has been growing in popularity as a weight-loss tool and, according to Horne, has been seen in previous studies as lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

However, fasting comes in several different methods. There’s time-restricted eating where people have a window of time where they eat and fast for the remainder of the day. The 16:8 diet – fasting for 16 hours and eating for eight – is one example.

There are also the methods of eating normally for five days of the week, then having a low-calorie intake for the other two days.

But Horne said the study didn’t show as much effect with those types of intermittent fasting as it did with the method of fasting for 24 hours once a month.

“16:8 is good for weight loss but doesn’t activate non-weight loss mechanisms as much as 24-hour fasting,” Horne said.

Fasting for 24 hours once a month should ring a bell for those in the LDS faith. Known as “Fast Sunday,” Latter-day Saints refrain from food and drink for their first two meals, or fast for 24 hours, on the first Sunday of the month.

Roman Catholics and Protestant sects also practice fasting, primarily during Lent, and fasting is a key facet of Islam during the holy month of Ramadan. Those who practice Judaism observe a series of fasting days throughout the year, with Yom Kippur as one of the primary observances.

Horne noted that 45% of the participants in the study said they fasted once a month for religious reasons. Those participants in particular saw the best results. Horne added that other LDS practices considered beneficial to health, such as lack of alcohol use and cigarette use, were taken into account.

“We have information of three dozen variables that adjust for in statistical analysis to determine fasting was an independent factor,” Horne said.

Nurses and doctors attend to a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator at a Utah hospital in an undated photo | Photo courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare, St. George News

Of the 1,524 participants in the study from March 2020 to February 2021, the number of those who were fasting and those who were not that got COVID-19 were nearly equal, indicating that fasting didn’t keep someone from getting COVID-19. However, while 28.8% of those who did not fast and got COVID-19 had to be hospitalized or died, that percentage reduced to 11% among those who partook in periodic fasting.

Horne noted that fasting is free and available everywhere, while some parts of the world are still seeing a slow rollout of vaccines and treatments.

“This speaks to health equity,” Horne said. “Our ancestors gave this to us because they managed to survive through food scarcity.”

While for the most part, intermittent fasting is safe, Horne said, it still isn’t for everyone. Fasting is not something that growing and developing children should do. Also, it’s not a good option for some immunocompromised people, especially those already suffering from diabetes.

“Fasting in general is safe especially for people who are healthy. That said, there are groups where it is less safe. It reduces blood sugar,” said Horne, adding that starvations that last days are not beneficial and people should consult with their doctor before trying a fasting regimen. “We don’t want people to do extreme fasts.”

New variant produces COVID newbies

The last two weeks has seen an uptick locally in infections and hospitalizations of COVID-19, though it is still far from the kind of numbers seen during the less severe times of the pandemic.

A set of positive home COVID-19 tests, St. George, Utah, June 22, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

After having less than five people locally hospitalized with COVID-19 for much of June, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, there have been a few days in the last two weeks where the number of Southern Utahns hospitalized with the disease has been closer to the seven to 10 range.

Invections have also been up from a daily average of just around 50 new infections a day locally to more than 60, though the state and local numbers don’t take into account people who test positive through home tests.

The BA.5 variant, which has become the dominant form of COVID-19 in the U.S., also separates itself from previous variants as far as its ability to get past some forms of immunity, according to researchers, though like other recent variants it doesn’t cause as much severe illness.

Researchers say the variant, a form of omicron is managing to get past immunities like vaccines, boosters and previous infections. This is causing many who have managed to go more than two years without being infected to go through COVID-19 for the first time.

All five Southern Utah counties remain at the medium risk level as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under medium, the CDC recommends that people who are at high risk of having the severe effects of COVID-19 consult with their doctors on whether they should wear masks in public indoor environments.

Those at high risk include those who are either unvaccinated, over 65, or have a chronic lung disease like asthma, diabetes, cancer or any other disease that hinders the immune system.

But the local sewer system has indications that the current increase in local COVID infections may be abating. After three weeks of increasing, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality says the sewage virus levels are decreasing.

COVID-19 information resources

St. George News has made every effort to ensure the information in this story is accurate at the time it was written. However, as the situation and science surrounding the coronavirus continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data has changed.

Check the resources below for up-to-date information and resources.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Those who can currently get the first dose of the vaccine: Everyone ages six months and over. Those younger than 18 can only receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Use vaccinefinder.org to find clinics that have specific vaccines.
Those who can receive the second dose: Those 65 and over who received their first injection 28 days or more before the appointment time. Those under 65, eight weeks from the first dose.
Those who can receive a first booster dose: Those aged five and older who received Pfizer or Moderna at least five months ago. Those who received Johnson & Johnson at least two months ago. Booster shots can be of any form of COVID-19 vaccine for 18 and over, and only Pfizer for under 18.
Those who can receive a second booster dose: Those who received Pfizer or Moderna at least four months ago and are 50 or older. Those ages 18 and older who received a primary vaccine and a Johnson & Johnson booster at least four months ago. Booster shots can be of any form of COVID-19 vaccine.
The Southwest Utah Public Health Department has walk-in appointments in Washington County only, other counties are by call-in appointment only. Some pharmacies and stores are offering walk-up appointments. Check the links below before going.
Must wear a short-sleeve shirt at appointment and should have a personal ID.
Vaccines are free of charge.

Washington County:

Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department St. George office, 620 S. 400 East, St George