What exactly is autophagy?
According to Priya Khorana, PhD, in nutrition education from Columbia University, autophagy is the body's mechanism of clearing out damaged cells in order to regenerate younger, healthier cells.
"Phagy" means "to eat," and "auto" means "self." As a result, autophagy literally means "self-eating."
"Self-devouring" is another term for it. While this may sound like something you'd rather not happen to your body, it's actually good for your general health.
According to board-certified cardiologist Dr. Luiza Petre, autophagy is an evolutionary self-preservation system by which the body may remove damaged cells and recycle parts of them toward cellular repair and cleaning.
The goal of autophagy, according to Petre, is to eliminate garbage and self-regulate back to optimal smooth performance.
"It's like striking a reset button on your body, recycling and cleansing at the same time." It also aids survival and adaptation in response to various stresses and toxins that have accumulated in our cells," she adds.
What are some of the advantages of autophagy?
The primary advantages of autophagy appear to be anti-aging concepts. It's best recognized, according to Petre, as the body's mechanism of turning back the clock and producing younger cells.
When our cells are stressed, autophagy increases to protect us, which helps extend our lives, according to Khorana.
Autophagy also maintains the body going in times of hunger, according to registered dietitian Scott Keatley, RD, CDN, by breaking down cellular material and reusing it for vital processes.
"Of course, this requires energy and cannot be sustained indefinitely," he says, "but it provides us more time to obtain nourishment."
Autophagy has several advantages at the cellular level, according to Petre:
eliminating harmful proteins from cells, which are linked to neurological illnesses like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
It encourages regeneration and healthy cells by recycling remaining proteins, which provide energy and building blocks for cells that could still benefit from repair on a bigger scale.
Autophagy is also getting a lot of attention because of the potential role it could play in cancer prevention and treatment.
"As we age, autophagy diminishes, which means cells that no longer function or may cause harm are permitted to multiply, which is cancer cells' MO," explains Keatley.
While all malignancies begin with faulty cells, according to Petre, the body should recognize and eliminate those cells, frequently through autophagic processes. As a result, several researchers are investigating whether autophagy can reduce the risk of cancer.
While there is no scientific proof to support this, Petre claims that some studiesTrusted Source show that autophagy can destroy many malignant cells.
She continues, "This is how the body polices the cancer villains." "Recognizing and destroying what went wrong, as well as starting the healing mechanism, helps to reduce cancer risk."
Fresh research, according to the researchers, will lead to new insights that will enable them target autophagy as a cancer therapy.
Autophagy-boosting dietary modifications
Autophagy literally means "self-eating," so keep that in mind. Intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets are known to promote autophagy, which makes sense.
"The most effective wayTrusted Source to initiate autophagy is to fast," says Petre.
She continues, "This is how the body polices the cancer villains." "Recognizing and destroying what went wrong, as well as starting the healing mechanism, helps to reduce cancer risk."
WHAT EXACTLY IS AUTOPHAGY?
YOSHINORI OHSUMI JAPANESE BIOLOGIST
Fresh research, according to the researchers, will lead to new insights that will enable them target autophagy as a cancer therapy.
Autophagy-boosting dietary modifications
Autophagy literally means "self-eating," so keep that in mind. Intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets are known to promote autophagy, which makes sense.
"The most effective wayTrusted Source to initiate autophagy is to fast," says Petre.
Low glucose levels are connected to low insulin and high glucagon levels in both diets, according to Petre. And it is the glucagon level that triggers autophagy.
"When the body is short on sugar due to fasting or ketosis, it causes positive stress, which activates the survival mending mode," she continues.
Exercise is one non-diet factor that may play a role in autophagy induction. Physical activity may trigger autophagy in organs involved in metabolic regulatory processes, according to one animal studyTrusted Source.
Muscles, liver, pancreas, and adipose tissue are all examples of this.
Last but not least
Autophagy will continue to gain traction as more research on its effects on our health is conducted.
For the time being, nutritional and health experts like Khorana point out that we still have a lot to understand about autophagy and how to best promote it.
If you want to try to induce autophagy in your body, she recommends starting with fasting and regular exercise.
If you're on any drugs, pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant, or if you have a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes, you should visit your doctor.
If you fall under any of the categories listed above, Khorana advises against fasting.
