What is autophagy?
As the power of fasting is becoming better known, the additional benefits of the approach are coming to the fore. Arguably the most powerful one is autophagy - your body’s natural repair system that goes into overdrive during a fast.
The research around autophagy is powerful, leading many people to believe it might be one of the most important health behaviours we have.
Autophagy is a process by which cells recycle their own internal components, such as proteins and organelles, to maintain normal cellular function and survival during times of stress or nutrient deprivation. It is a stress response, but what that enhances our physical condition.
During autophagy, the cell forms a double membrane structure called an autophagosome, which engulfs the targeted materials and fuses with lysosomes for degradation and recycling. Autophagy is key for cellular homeostasis and has been linked to various health benefits, such as increasing lifespan and reducing the risk for diseases like cancer, neurodegeneration, and aging-related disorders.
How do I create autophagy?
Autophagy is a natural cellular process that occurs in the body and can be induced through fasting or exercise.
The preferred approach is through short-mid length fasts. Logically this approach stimulates autophagy and doesn’t create waste products and tissue damage that the body has to repair first. It also removes and possibility of reactions to food.
You can also stimulate the process with some very gentle exercise. Something like walking is ideal - it doesn't change you hormonally and is easy to recover from. It stimulates physical changes in the body and burns calories without demanding much of you.
Finally, it’s a very simple and binary approach. You don’t have to make any decisions about what you should eat to stimulate autophagy… you just don’t eat anything at all!
How long into a fast does autophagy start?
Autophagy typically begins after 12-16 hours of fasting, depending on factors such as age, sex, and overall health. It can increase significantly after 24-48 hours of fasting, and may continue for several days or even weeks depending on the duration of the fast.
Anecdotally, the best feelings from autophagy kick in beyond the 48 hour marks. At this point body tends to have cleared many inflammatory markers and the tissue renewal is working well.
What evidence is there in support of autophagy?
There is a growing body of scientific evidence that supports the importance of autophagy in maintaining cellular homeostasis and preventing various diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and age-related conditions.
Here’s some of the main benefits of autophagy…
Cellular stress response: Autophagy is activated in response to various forms of stress, such as nutrient deprivation, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and infection. Autophagy helps to remove damaged proteins and organelles, prevent cell death, and maintain cellular function.
It’s effectively your body spring-cleaning itself. Breaking cells apart, re-using the useful bits and clearing out the junk!
Regulation of metabolism: Autophagy plays a crucial role in regulating cellular metabolism by recycling damaged mitochondria and other organelles to produce energy and nutrients. Dysregulation of autophagy has been linked to metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
This is your body’s way of recycling itself and making the most of the good bits, essentially!
Aging: Autophagy has been implicated in the aging process, as levels of autophagy decline with age. Some studies have suggested that boosting autophagy may help to prolong lifespan and prevent age-related diseases.
This is particularly powerful and is repeated across the research base. It’s more than likely a by product of the first two benefits…
Cancer: Autophagy can have both pro- and anti-tumor effects, depending on the context. In some cases, autophagy can promote cancer cell survival by providing nutrients and preventing cell death. In other cases, autophagy may act as a tumor suppressor by removing damaged proteins and organelles, and promoting cell death.
There’s a strong suggestion in the research that autophagy can both help to prevent cancer, and be a big ally in cancer treatment. This could be huge, given cancer rates.
Neurodegeneration: Dysregulation of autophagy has been implicated in the development of various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. Autophagy dysfunction may contribute to the accumulation of toxic protein aggregates and neuronal cell death.
What the research shows us is when autophagy is disrupted, it can speed the onset of neurodegeneration. By stimulating it properly, we can help to maintain brain health.
Overall, the evidence suggests that autophagy plays a critical role in a wide range of cellular processes. It’s a physiological process, but one that most people will never be aware of because it requires a fast in order to get the most out of.
If you’re in good health, and you’re looking for a little extra boost then why not give a 48-72 hour fast a try? It’ll really help your body, and the evidence base in support of the approach is rock solid. You can’t medicate your way to many of these benefits. The power of autophagy is accessible to anyone if they simply fast.
A water fast is the best way to go. That way your body isn’t dealing with coffee etc. It can just get to work quickly on its spring clean!
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