All About Autophagy

Six months ago I did the Keto diet and I did lose a lot of weight in a two week period. The diet attracted me because I've never met a cheese I didn't like, and I cant do a diet that eliminates dairy. However, stripping carbs completely isn't for me even though I don't eat bread or haven't had pasta in years. I thought that eating nothing but fat can't be healthy, especially now that I'm approaching 40. I went and had a physical while on the diet and the doctor told me my cholesterol and blood pressure levels were the best she's seen in a long time. Still, I can't wrap my head around eating fat is healthy. I can only think that vegetables and lean protein is best. While on the Keto diet though, I learned a lot about autophagy and I completely believe in it and follow it. I didn't realize I was already doing it for 10 years without even knowing. I just considered myself not a breakfast person and maybe that's why I've been able to stay the same weight while eating what I want. Now after adopting a plant-based diet and practicing autophagy I feel so much better and I'm actually losing weight steadily each week.

What Is Autophagy?

Most competition body builders do intermittent fasting which is essentially autophagy. When you fast (sleeping) your body goes into a state of autophagy. The longer you go in a fasting state the quicker you get into autophagy. While most people want to get into an autophagy state for weight loss, what it really does is prevent disease. When you "starve" yourself your body begins to eat itself and destroy existing damaged cells in your body. It then begins to recycle the damaged cells and create new healthier cells protecting against dementia and cancer. Trust me, when I heard "starving yourself" I was like WTF too. Think about it, you sleep for 8-10 hours a night that's fasting. So the idea of getting into autophagy is to expand that just a couple hours longer which is what most people do. For example, I sleep about 8 hours and I never eat breakfast. I have a glass of lemon water and coffee and I can easily not have my first meal until 10 a.m. which is doable. So if I go to bed at 10 p.m. I've fasted for 12 hours which they say is the beginning point of getting into autophagy. It's recommended 12-14 hours of not eating. I've made it a practice to not eat dinner past 7 p.m. which has worked for me and made me lose weight. Autophagy is crucial for cellular quality control and helps them better adapt to stress.

I read an article from the well-respected NCBI resource that stated calorie restriction is associated with a longer lifespan and slower aging process. Scientists and researchers provided evidence that autophagy positively affects tissues and organs when the body is in a food deprived state. Does this mean you have to go hungry and take nibbles of saltine crackers all day? No! It just means don't wake up and hit the fridge, wait two hours or so. Doctors recommend doing a 24 hour fast a few times a year to get the most benefits, but I can't do that. Knowing that the 12-hour window is fine works for me. I talked to my Dr. at my physical about autophagy and she told me she recommends it for her older patients which makes sense. Autophagy helps prevent Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases.    

How Does Autophagy Benefit People?

Many studies have shown that autophagy can fight infectious disease and enhance the immune system and reduce inflammation. It can also diminish the chance of schizophrenia and depression. It's still being studied on its affects on cancer cells. A longevity researcher Valter Longo claims that fasting confuses cancer cells and they become weakened by fasting. I watched a podcast he did where he states autophagy acts as a tumor suppressor. A 2016 JAMA Oncology study revealed that women with breast cancer who fasted for more than 13 hours had lower rates of re-occurring cancer.

Final Thoughts

Other studies are underway on the effects of prostate, lung, and ovarian cancer prevention associated with autophagy. Like I said, I already have been practicing autophagy anyways and I don't feel deprived or hungry. Simply, you get used to it, and if it's benefiting my health then I'll keep doing it. Beyond weight control you can prevent age-related disease by just waiting a couple hours. For those who are stronger than me and want to do a 24-hour or 16-hour fast, it's recommended you drink bone broth, drink tea, and consume a ton of water............good luck.