A Fasting Pilot Study for Long COVID

Exclusion Criteria

• •Current underweight condition (body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2) or weight loss exceeding 3 kg within the last month or 5 kg within the last three months.
• •Current or history of eating disorder (e.g., anorexia, bulimia).
• •Psychiatric condition that limits understanding of the examination protocol (unable to consent)
• •Participation in another intervention study.
• •Fasting during the last six months
• •Pregnancy or breastfeeding status.
• •Diagnosis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac disease or colorectal cancer according to the guidelines of the Canadian Society of Gastroenterology
• •Use of anti-psychotic drugs
• •Start of novel drug therapy for long COVID
• •Contraindication for additional blood draws (e.g. hemoglobin \<100)
• •Taking opioid analgesics or undergoing treatment for opioid addiction
• •Opioid dependence or withdrawal syndrome
• •Type 1 or 2 Diabetes, or history of hypoglycemia
• •Active cancer
• •Baseline E+ (Na, K, Mg, phosphate) within normal range
• •Baseline ALT \< 60
• •Baseline Hb \> 100
• •Baseline INR within normal range
• •Baseline DFG \< 50