Hi @leonk, glad to know that you understand that a “starvation” diet will not cure you of hep b. Also, I think you’re referring to the “intermittent diet” where you don’t eat for long periods of a day, right? For example, here in the US a popular intermittent diet is to stop eating after dinner and then resume eating 16 hours later (in other words, skipping breakfast and eating around noon). The idea is that waiting 16 hours gives the body time to burn off fat. But let me ask, why do you want to to “starve” your body? Are you concerned about your weight? Generally these extreme diets are not great for folks like us living with chronic liver disease. It’s better to eat as healthfully as possible - more fruits, vegetables and less animal protein and simple carbs - and on a regular basis. With that said, I’m not a doctor or even a dietician, so I don’t want to presume to give anyone nutritional advice. But common sense eating is better than extremes.
As far as antiviral therapy, you’re right that a high viral load is generally the key marker for starting treatment. But if there’s a family history of serious liver disease or liver cancer, then treatment would probably be recommended earlier than sooner. If there’s no family history, then your age, overall physical health and any co-morbidities (diabetes, fatty liver disease, etc.) would be factors in making any treatment decision. There are others on this forum who can give you more expert opinions on your question. Thanks again for posting! Always, Joan