Setting It Level · Viral Post Fact Check ·

Fasting for 24 hours triggers autophagy that destroys cancer cells.

Screenshot of the viral post we checked, claiming: Fasting for 24 hours triggers autophagy that destroys cancer cells.
The post as it circulated. Faces of private individuals are blurred.

Our rating

Misleading

How we rate

What We Found

Fasting can ramp up autophagy, the cells' cleanup process.

There's no human evidence that a 24-hour fast destroys cancer cells.

Researchers note some tumors actually use autophagy to survive.

Fasting during cancer treatment is still being studied, so talk to your care team. Not medical advice.

Sources

  1. AAP FactCheck, water fasting doesn't make the body remove all cancer cells (opens in new tab)
  2. JNCI Monographs (2023), fasting and cancer research (opens in new tab)
  3. AFP Fact Check (opens in new tab)

We rate claims, not people. If we got something wrong, email hello@levelheadlines.com.

All fact checks