Greek in origin, autophagy signifies self- or auto and eating phagy. Although it sounds like a graphic horror movie, your body is using it as a means of getting rid of old, damaged proteins and cells to make room for new, healthy ones. Put another way, the ultimate natural bodily detox is autophagy.
Weight loss, improved insulin regulation, and even a lower risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease has all been linked to the procedure. Is autophagy an innate process or is it something that can be manipulated? This is a more thorough explanation of autophagy and how to optimize its effects on your body.
Autophagy Defined
Proteins and organelles in your body deteriorate or die as you age, a natural reaction to simply living. These damaged particles build up in your cells and cause problems if they’re not removed.
Your cells are unable to proliferate and perform their regular functions when this occurs, which can lead to cell death, age-related illnesses, impaired tissue and/or organ function, and even the development of cancer (1).
Let’s introduce the autophagy process. The process of autophagy involves the body identifying and eliminating damaged cell components, unnecessary proteins, and other waste products from the body. This is essentially what a detox is all about—cellular cleaning. Additionally, autophagy aids in the delivery of nutrients to cells in need (1).
Not only can autophagy affect our quality of life, but it may also affect our lifespan. It is an essential physiological system that has survived evolution specifically to support the survival of the human species. However, when the autophagic processes are overworked or malfunctioning, sickness and accelerated aging can result from cells’ inability to function at their best.
For healthy, functional cells, autophagy is critically necessary, and if it isn’t activated to its maximum capacity, you may become ill. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most famous conditions in which these dead proteins accumulate (2). Dead proteins get to the brain and become lodged there because they are never removed from the body, resulting in the recognizable plaques linked to the disease.
Consider autophagy as akin to your home’s robotic vacuum cleaner. When things start to get untidy, it starts working, clearing out undesired items and debris to give you a fresh start and stop accumulation that could cause a bigger mess later.
Advantages of Autophagy for Health
The basis of good health is a clean body with well-functioning cellular pathways. This explains why autophagy has such extensive advantages:
1. Reduced inflammation.
A scientific review published in Clinical and Translational Medicine mentioned autophagy as a means by which inflammation can be inhibited (3). These cells include neutrophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and cytokines. As autophagy is a potent anti-inflammatory, promoting autophagy has the potential to lessen the severity of several illnesses associated with inflammation, including cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and Crohn’s disease (COPD) (4).
Additionally, autophagy contributes to the regulation of insulin levels, which lowers inflammation and improves gut health.
2. Improved management of blood sugar.
The cells in your pancreas that make insulin, known as beta cells, depend on autophagy to function properly (5). Some evidence links impaired autophagy to the development of type 2 diabetes, including a study published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine that examined insulin-producing cells (INS-1) in both human and rat subjects (6). Conversely, promoting autophagy may maintain the health of beta cells and enhance insulin signaling and sensitivity (7).
3. Healthy Aging.
Everyone ages, but have you ever observed that certain people seem to age more quickly than others in terms of their general health and appearance? This is because damaged proteins and organelles that impede regular bodily function and repair accumulate over time, causing cellular aging (8).
Moreover, certain individuals have a higher concentration of damaged proteins than others and take less action to eliminate them. According to a scientific review that was published in the Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology, routinely promoting autophagy can support the body’s ability to age healthily by repairing pathways and maintaining cell viability (8).
4. Reduced risk of developing cancer.
There is some debate concerning autophagy’s function in cancer. According to a recent assessment, autophagy can stop tumor growth and stop cancer from spreading in its early stages (9).
On the other hand, autophagy may potentially promote tumor growth if they are advanced in stage. Put another way, autophagy may help prevent cancer from developing in the first place, but if you already have cancer, follow your doctor’s advice on therapy.
5. Weight control.
Intermittent fasting is one weight-loss strategy that, when all other options have been exhausted, nearly always succeeds. This is because a deficiency in autophagy is linked to obesity and associated metabolic diseases such as diabetes and insulin resistance. On the other hand, encouraging autophagy may aid in the removal of damaged proteins to lessen weight and issues associated with it, according to a review of research (10).
Related Post: Does Fasted Cardio Help You Lose More Weight?
6. Improved brain health.
Remarkably, most neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, are linked to the build-up of pathologic or misfolded proteins. Therefore, there’s a chance that defective autophagy plays a role in these illnesses, albeit the precise process is yet unclear.
According to a review, the mechanism might potentially offer defense against additional neurodegenerative illnesses like Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). According to the same research, this is because autophagy aids in the removal of damaged proteins that may build up in the brain and eventually cause aging and disorders related to the brain (11).
7. Decreased chance of heart issues.
Atheroclerosis, heart attacks, and heart disease have all been linked to deficiencies in autophagy. According to a review of studies, encouraging autophagy may aid in the removal of damaged heart tissue, maintaining heart health, and preventing atherosclerosis (12).
Intermittent Fasting aids in Autophagy
The main inducer of autophagy is nutrient deprivation or fasting. That may seem like something you would not want to undertake, yet intermittent fasting is precisely that. Furthermore, your body really benefits from this physiological state.
Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, or AMPK, is an essential enzyme for the bioenergetics of cells. AMPK is triggered to increase autophagy in nutrient-depleted circumstances so your body can meet homeostatic requirements. Endocrine dysfunction, cancer, ageing, and neurological diseases have all been linked to AMPK pathway impairment.
However, it seems that autophagy becomes less active in humans when any food is consumed. This is also significant since unregulated autophagy can lead to a variety of issues, including cell death (13). Intermittent fasting is a fantastic technique because of this.
It alternates between times of fasting or nutrient deprivation and times of eating, or feasting. This equilibrium makes sure that unhealthy cells are eliminated while healthy ones are kept whole.
Foods that Encourage Autophagy
The keto diet, which is a high-fat, low-carb regimen, is one technique to simulate a nutrient-depleted state, however intermittent fasting is regarded to be the most effective way to achieve one. You starve your body of glucose when you adhere to a ketogenic diet. This endogenous signal—the absence of glucose—activates AMPK and initiates autophagy (14).
There are various nutritional approaches you may take to support autophagy if you’re not ready to go completely keto, particularly if you’re also intermittently fasting.
N-acetylcysteine, ubiquinone, glutathione, and vitamins C and E are a few antioxidants that might encourage autophagy in damaged cells (15). The worst part is that consuming a diet high in antioxidant-rich foods on a daily basis actually reduces your requirement for autophagy because antioxidants help shield your cells from damage in the first place.
Steer clear of processed meals, processed oils, and sugar. These products can impede the mitochondria’s ability to function and play a part in autophagy since they are pro-inflammatory.
To Wrap Things Up
While autophagy offers several very compelling advantages, it is not activated by a miraculous internal switch. Make inducers like intermittent fasting a regular part of your life if you want to truly profit from autophagy. For those in good health, there is almost little risk involved in doing this. However, you should consult your physician first if you have diabetes, hypothyroidism, or dysfunction of the adrenal glands.
It’s crucial to focus on the other pillars of a balanced lifestyle, like getting enough sleep, exercising, eating the correct meals, and addressing and managing difficult emotions, if you want to completely benefit from autophagy.
Don’t have time for the full article? Read this!
Autophagy is a natural bodily detox process that helps the body eliminate old, damaged proteins and cells, promoting weight loss, improved insulin regulation, and a lower risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease. It helps in delivering nutrients to cells in need and is essential for maintaining a healthy body. Overworked autophagic processes can lead to illness and accelerated aging.
Autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining good health by inhibiting inflammation, managing blood sugar, supporting healthy aging, reducing the risk of cancer, aiding in weight control, improving brain health, and reducing the risk of heart issues. It is essential for maintaining a healthy body and functioning cellular pathways. Promoting autophagy can be achieved through nutrient deprivation or fasting, which stimulates the enzyme AMPK, which is responsible for cell bioenergetics. Intermittent fasting, a nutrient-depleted state, can help maintain healthy cells and prevent cell death. Foods that encourage autophagy include the keto diet, which is a high-fat, low-carb diet that stimulates AMPK and initiates autophagy.
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Sources |
- Why is autophagy important in human diseases? | Experimental & Molecular Medicine (nature.com)
- Autophagy and Alzheimer’s Disease: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Implications – PMC (nih.gov)
- Autophagy and inflammation – PMC (nih.gov)
- Autophagy and inflammation – Qian – 2017 – Clinical and Translational Medicine – Wiley Online Library
- Autophagy: A Potential Link between Obesity and Insulin Resistance: Cell Metabolism
- Type 2 diabetes is associated with suppression of autophagy and lipid accumulation in β‐cells – Ji – 2019 – Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine – Wiley Online Library
- Autophagy Differentially Regulates Insulin Production and Insulin Sensitivity – PMC (nih.gov)
- Autophagy – An Emerging Anti-Aging Mechanism – PMC (nih.gov)
- Autophagy and autophagy-related proteins in cancer | Molecular Cancer | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)
- Targeting autophagy in obesity: from pathophysiology to management | Nature Reviews Endocrinology
- Autophagy in aging and neurodegenerative diseases: implications for pathogenesis and therapy – ScienceDirect
- Autophagy and Mitophagy in Cardiovascular Disease | Circulation Research (ahajournals.org)
- Full article: Why do we need to regulate autophagy (and how can we do it)? A cartoon depiction (tandfonline.com)
- AMP-activated protein kinase is activated by low glucose in cell lines derived from pancreatic beta cells, and may regulate insulin release. – PMC (nih.gov)
- The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide – PMC (nih.gov)
Lilian says
Whoa, that’s the most biology I’ve learnt about my body in a long while. Good information.
Jasmine Feliciano says
Thank you! Glad it was informative😊