Viral Infection

Viral infections occur when viruses enter the body, invade host cells, and hijack cellular machinery to replicate. Most pathogenic viruses depend heavily on glucose-driven metabolism: they upregulate glycolysis in host cells, increase glucose uptake, and rely on high intracellular sugar availability to fuel rapid replication. High-carbohydrate diets, elevated blood glucose, and insulin spikes create an ideal metabolic environment for viral spread by providing abundant fuel, increasing oxidative stress, and weakening antiviral immunity. Viruses also exploit inflammation; inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) and endotoxin from leaky gut impair mitochondrial function and T-cell activity, lowering the immune system’s ability to suppress viral replication. Many viruses even trigger inflammation deliberately to access more glucose-rich metabolic pathways within host cells.

Metabolic dysfunction—insulin resistance, unstable blood sugar, chronic inflammation, and a leaky gut—weakens innate and adaptive immunity. Shifts in cortisol from chronic stress or blood sugar crashes suppress antiviral T-cells and NK cells, making viral reactivation and symptomatic infection more likely.

Fasting, ketogenic diets, and carnivore diets create a metabolic state that is strongly unfavorable for viral replication. Ketosis shuts down the glucose-dependent pathways viruses rely on and shifts host cells toward fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial ATP production, which viruses cannot effectively hijack. Ketones reduce inflammatory cytokines, enhance mitochondrial resilience, and strengthen T-cell and NK-cell antiviral responses. Stable blood sugar prevents cortisol spikes and restores immune surveillance. Carnivore diets remove foods that increase inflammation (sugar, grains, seed oils, FODMAPs) and provide high levels of zinc, vitamin D, vitamin A, and amino acids essential for antiviral defense. Fasting activates autophagy, which directly clears virus-infected cells and enhances immune precision. These metabolic interventions do not make a person completely immune to viruses, but they significantly reduce susceptibility, severity, symptom duration, and the likelihood of viral reactivation by depriving viruses of the conditions they require to replicate.