Autophagy and Fasting: The Path to Beauty, Health, and Longevity - Should I stay or should I go?

Introduction

I would like to look beautiful, be healthy, and live long. Who wouldn't? As far as beauty is concerned, I am neither at the top nor at the bottom, a tolerable happy middle, I guess. I play with the cards I've been dealt. As for health and longevity, maybe I can do something about it. I could eat healthy, do special diets, run, swim, exercise a lot, almost never leave the gym. A lot of will, a lot of sacrifice, persistence, and a lot of money if you ask me. The results, if there are any, are in the distant future. Who has that much time, discipline, or money? Maybe me? I sincerely doubt it. Perhaps, there is a shortcut? I've heard of autophagy. Isn't that a modern name for what used to be called fasting? Or not? Or is there any difference between autophagy and fasting? Is it dangerous? Is it expensive? How long does it take? And finally, can the average man or woman put herself in those autophagy shoes? This is what this article is about.

What is Autophagy?

Let's start from the beginning - the definition. Autophagy is a vital cellular process in which the body’s cells “clean out” any unnecessary or damaged components. This is promising, because who wouldn't like to get rid of unnecessary and rotten things from their body? And since everything takes place at the cellular level, it means that the whole thing is happening imperceptibly, that is, I am not aware of it. Even better! Images from various horror movies in which actors' bodies are distorted in an incredible number of ways immediately flashed through my mind. There is no such thing, good to know. As I see it, it's just about degrading and recycling damaged or unnecessary parts of the cell.

The name autophagy has derived from Greek words meaning "self-eating," and highlights the cell's ability to break down its own components. Okay, we know the ancient Greeks invented a bunch of stuff. But here only the Greek terms were used to name this thing - autophagy. So Ancient Greeks 0, Modern Science 1! When I say science, I'm very serious, because on October 3, 2016, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for “discoveries of the mechanisms for Autophagy.” Much of the research on autophagy is in the early stages, but it may be possible to induce autophagy. How? We'll see a bit later. And there may be associated risks, scientists say. I don't worry too much about that. When they offer us (not "if" they offer us) an autophagy-inducing drug, the disclaimer will be as long as my arm. As always, just check any painkillers. And if there is any concern, I'll look after it later. For now, let's move on. Researchers have linked autophagy to several positive health effects, which I salute. They also believe that a person might be able to induce autophagy by fasting. Here we go, I like to try everything I can on my own. But before that, let's take a look at fasting.

What is Fasting?

Starting from the beginning too - from the definition. Now let's see how science defines fasting: “Fasting is a practice that involves completely abstaining from eating or avoiding certain foods for a fixed period. It can induce the activation of autophagy. People have practiced fasting for centuries, primarily for religious purposes.” This means that in the past, people not only abstained from food, but they did it for religious reasons. I can clearly picture an inspired medieval priest explaining to starving people how God is pleased with their fasting. But I can't imagine that this particular priest knew that such a God-pleasing fast would also be healthy. Perhaps the gluttony of some nobleman was stopped for a short time by fasting, and that was all. Well, religious discipline was definitely useful, especially for those who benefited from it. But let's return to the present. In recent years, occasional fasting has become more and more popular among people who want to lose weight or improve their health. Some methods of intermittent fasting include eating little or no calories 1-4 days a week, then eating more regularly on non-fasting days. Some supporters claim that this kind of eating style is more sustainable than traditional diets. Of course, I don't want to fast, I want to start autophagy by fasting. Like I said, more on that a little later. Now I'm going to put my scholar hat on again and check out the similarities between autophagy and fasting.

Similarities

1. Cell cleaning as the first similarity:?

? Autophagy is a mechanism that breaks down and recycles materials necessary for the maintenance of cells.

? Fasting occurs when we do not take food into the body, so the body has to use its own energy reserves, which stimulates autophagy to maintain cellular function.

This means that both contribute to the cleansing of cells, ensuring the removal of damaged or defective parts and improving the general condition of the cells.

2. Benefits for metabolism:

? Autophagy removes damaged cellular components, thereby improving our cellular metabolism and health.

? Fasting is beneficial because it activates autophagy, and it is also associated with better blood sugar regulation, reduced inflammation and increased insulin sensitivity.

The benefits of autophagy and fasting are that they contribute to better energy regulation, lower risk of metabolic diseases, and general health improvement.

3. Antiaging effects:

??????????? ? Research has linked autophagy to antiaging benefits by reducing the accumulation of damage that causes aging.

??????????? ? Fasting can promote longevity because it stimulates autophagy and thereby cell repair mechanisms, helping to maintain cell integrity.

Both procedures promote cell renewal and longevity, which definitely have anti-aging benefits.

4. Prevention of diseases:

??????????? ? Autophagy preserves cellular homeostasis and eliminates damaged components and thus plays a key role in avoiding diseases including cancer, infections, and neurodegeneration.

??????????? ? Fasting, on the other hand, by inducing autophagy, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.

Both autophagy and fasting in disease prevention contribute to improving long-term health and reducing the incidence of chronic diseases.

Differences

1. Difference in definition

??????????? ? By definition, autophagy is a biological process in which cell components are broken down and recycled

??????????? ? Fasting, by definition, is a period of time during which a person voluntarily abstains from all or certain types of food or liquids.

The difference is that autophagy is a cellular process, while fasting is a dietary practice that can stimulate this process.

2. Difference in mechanism

??????????? ? Autophagy is controlled by specific proteins and genes.

??????????? ? Conversely, fasting indirectly induces autophagy through nutrient lack and subsequent cellular stress responses.

These are two different mechanisms as fasting acts as a trigger through systemic changes, while autophagy is a direct cellular process.

3. Direct and indirect method difference

??????????? ?Autophagy degrades and recycles cell components directly through intracellular mechanisms. That means autophagy is a direct reaction.

??????????? ? Fasting, as a result of lack of nutrition, indirectly stimulates autophagy. Fasting is therefore an indirect way to induce cellular autophagy.

The difference between direct and indirect is obvious.

4. Usage difference

?????????? ? Autophagy can be altered in cells using drugs, genetic engineering or certain nutritional approaches.

????????? ? Fasting can manifest itself in different forms and durations (for example, fasting on water, long-term fasting and intermittent fasting).

While fasting is a more popular practice among the general public, the use of autophagy is more concentrated in the field of cell biology.

5. Range difference:

????????? ? Autophagy is a process that influences the health of individual cells at the cellular level.

????????? ? Fasting modifies hormone levels, energy consumption, metabolism, and other systemic changes that affect the entire body.

The difference is that autophagy is limited to cellular functions, while fasting affects the physiology of the whole organism.

6. Impact of nutrients:

???????? ? Autophagy is affected by certain nutrients and the energy status of the cell (for example, decreased availability of amino acids or glucose).

??????? ?? Fasting implies a reduced total consumption of food, which affects the nutritional status and the overall energy balance.

The difference is that nutrients have a more focused and localized effect on autophagy, while a complete lack of food occurs during fasting.

7. Duration and timing:

??????? ? Autophagy acts relatively quickly when activated within cells in response to various stresses.

??????? ? Fasting works more slowly, as it takes a longer period without food to significantly induce autophagy, usually several hours to days.

The difference is that due to direct cellular stress, autophagy is triggered more quickly, while it takes longer to trigger it through fasting.

Conclusion

Fasting and autophagy are related processes that are essential for maintaining the health of cells, controlling metabolism, and preventing illness. Although they promote cellular cleansing, metabolic advantages, anti-aging effects, and disease prevention in common, their definitions, methods, directness, applications, breadth, influence from nutrients, and duration are different.

Autophagy is a cellular process regulated by specific molecular pathways. On the other hand, fasting is a behavioral intervention that uses nutritional deprivation to produce autophagy and other advantageous physiological changes. Understanding these similarities and differences enhances our appreciation of how fasting can harness the benefits of autophagy for health and disease prevention.

As autophagy and fasting are more explored, it becomes evident that both procedures are essential for preserving cellular integrity and general health.

Should I stay or should I go? (To try or not?)

So, let's assume that you have consulted with your doctor and decided to induce autophagy by fasting. How to do it in practice? Here's my way, but I repeat once again that you must consult your doctor before applying, because we are all different. If you haven't practiced autophagy before, what will trigger it is a 16-hour fast. For me, that meant not eating anything for 16 hours and drinking only water. To make the fasting period more pleasant, I tried to sleep most of those 16 hours. My fast began after my last meal at 5 p.m. and ended 16 hours later, the next day at 9 a.m. Just enough to start autophagy. And all that just one day a week, again quite enough for me. If you continue with more frequent fasting, say twice a week, after a few times, your body will find that just 14 hours of fasting will be enough. Some supporters of autophagy through fasting claim that even 12 hours of fasting is enough for them, but I think this is an unconfirmed exaggeration.