Gwyneth Paltrow's COVID Treatments Not Proven By Science
The Claim
Long lasting COVID-19 symptoms can be treated with intuitive fasting, herbal cocktails, and sauna visits.
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Emerging story
Actor and lifestyle blogger Gwyneth Paltrow recently wrote that the lingering effects of COVID-19, or “long COVID” can be treated with new age medicines such as intuitive fasting, herbal cocktails, and regular visits to an infrared sauna, to name a few.
Paltrow revealed that she’d caught COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic, and was left with ongoing inflammation throughout her body. A “functional medicine” practitioner put her on a keto and plant-based diet that included kimchi and kombucha, along with fasting each day. She is also taking multiple supplements including a detox supplement.
In response, the medical director of England’s National Health Service has urged her and other influential stars to stop spreading misinformation. He added, “We need to take long Covid seriously and apply serious science. All influencers who use social media have a duty of responsibility and a duty of care around that.” Social media users appeared to widely support his criticism.
Misbar’s Analysis
Much of the treatment that Paltrow has recommended is not based on scientific evidence. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that there are numerous people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and then not returned to their previous health. Unfortunately, we still have much to learn about these cases, and there is currently a desperate need for more comprehensive research that would determine a course of treatment.
In the meantime, Paltrow’s recommendations are not yet supported by scientists specifically studying COVID-19, nor are they recommended for the general population. For example, according to at least one large study presented by the European Society of Cardiology, the popular “keto diet,” or ketogenic diet, which involves very low carbohydrate intake, has been found unsafe for the general population. In their study, it was discovered that those with the lowest carbohydrate intake had a 32% higher risk of all-cause death over an average 6.4-year follow-up. Risks of death from heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer were increased by at least 35%. If long-term COVID-19 symptoms involve inflammation, eating more meat with a keto diet may actually contribute to whole body inflammation.
Furthermore, even though vitamins and supplements are a 31 billion dollar industry in the U.S., the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that micronutrient supplements are warranted only when requirements are not being met through the diet alone. In order to determine if there are nutritional insufficiencies requiring supplementation, a doctor or registered dietician would need to perform a dietary analysis.
On her blog, Paltrow wrote, “I’ve been doing major research and finding some great stuff to support what I’m doing.” Unfortunately, when it comes to long-term COVID-19 symptoms, there is not yet sufficient evidence for treatment recommendations, and even the long-term effects may take years to understand.
