In early March, before we really knew what we were dealing with in regards to COVID, Gwyneth Paltrow posted a photo of herself on a plane to Paris wearing a mask. "Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda?" she wrote in the caption. "[I'm] just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane. I’ve already been in this movie. Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands frequently." Paltrow starred in the 2011 movie Contagion, which gained newfound attention early in the pandemic for its uncanny similarities to what we've all been experiencing over the past 12 months. Nearly a year after Paltrow posted that Instagram, we know a whole lot more about COVID and Paltrow even has firsthand experience. She shared a post on her website, Goop, on Feb. 17, revealing she had COVID-19 "early on" in the pandemic. Now, she says, she's dealing with some long-term effects of the virus. Read on to find out more about the symptoms that Paltrow says she still has, and for insight from the nation's leading infectious disease expert, check out Dr. Fauci Says These Are the COVID Symptoms That Don't Go Away.
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Fatigue
iStock"I had COVID-19 early on, and it left me with some long-tail fatigue," Paltrow wrote on Goop. She didn't go into much detail in the post, but it's become clear that fatigue is the most common symptom for those who experience the long effects of COVID after the virus has left their bodies.
A survey by Survivor Corps—a long COVID support group—led by Natalie Lambert, PhD, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, polled 1,500 COVID long-haulers. They found that 100 percent of respondents reported feeling fatigue. And for more on how to suss out this symptom, check out If You're More Tired Than Usual, Here's How to Tell If It's COVID.
Brain fog
Shutterstock/fizkesBrain fog is another symptom that Paltrow reported experiencing, which is also common among long-term COVID sufferers. White House COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, recently explained in an interview with the Duke Global Health Institute that brain fog refers to the feeling of having "a difficulty in focusing or concentrating." According to the Survivor Corps report, 59 percent of COVID long-haulers said they experienced difficulty concentrating, like Paltrow. For more celebrity and health news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Inflammation
ShutterstockPaltrow also said that she's been dealing with inflammation. "In January, I had some tests done that showed really high levels of inflammation in my body," she wrote.
While she didn't explain exactly where the inflammation was, this long-term effect of COVID is one that's caused medical professionals some concern, particularly when it comes to the heart and the brain. For example, a JAMA Cardiology study published in July looked at cardiac MRIs of 100 people who had recovered from COVID-19 within the past two to three months. They found "ongoing myocardial inflammation" in 60 percent of the study participants. Additionally, a June study published in the journal Radiology found that 68 percent of severe COVID patients had "increased markers of inflammation" in their brains. And for more strange ways the virus continues to wreak havoc, check out The Terrifying Long COVID Symptom Doctors Are Now Warning About.
Paltrow has adjusted her diet in an effort to improve her health post-COVID.
Gwyneth Paltrow/InstagramPaltrow said that she saw functional medicine practitioner Will Cole, a doctor of natural medicine, and is using a keto and semi-plant-based intermittent fasting diet from his book. "After he saw all my labs, he explained that this was a case where the road to healing was going to be longer than usual," Paltrow wrote. She went on to talk about the supplements she's taking, the non-alcoholic cocktail she enjoys, and some of her favorite skincare products. For more on long-term COVID effects, check out The "Really Disturbing" Long COVID Symptom Doctors Want You to Prepare For.
