Who doesn’t want to increase energy, reduce pain, lose fat, improve mental clarity, lower risk of chronic diseases, and improve longevity? Sounds intriguing, let’s dive into autophagy as it affects all noted above.

Autophagy
So, what exactly is autophagy? It essentially means, “self-eating”. I like to think of autophagy is cellular clean up – cleansing the body of cellular debris and recycling materials to make healthier more resilient cells. Autophagy plays a crucial role in inflammation, immune function, and cellular rejuvenation, hence, it has an important role when it comes to aging and longevity.

It’s essential for a cell to survive and function. As we age, we lose our ability to clean up cellular debris and cells start to accumulate damaged proteins, dysfunctional mitochondria, dead organelles and unnecessary cells. In the brain, the accumulation of this cellular "garbage" can lead to Alzheimer's. In the beta cells of the pancreas, it can lead to diabetes. It can adversely affect your heart, lungs, joints, and virtually any organ, and lead to conditions like heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, and cancer,

Generally speaking, cleaning up cellular waste and inefficient organelles is a good thing. Autophagy recycles cellular debris into energy and more efficient organelles. One of the ways this self-repair mechanism is initiated is by stress. It seems all the "anti-aging" strategies we read about stimulate autophagy directly or indirectly.

Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Induce Autophagy
You can induce autophagy by stressing your cells to send them into survival mode. While the list below includes ways to trigger autophagy, it does not mean that these are recommended for all. Please discuss with your healthcare provider. You may induce autophagy by:

Fasting - Most significant way of triggering autophagy is prolonged fasting of more than 48 hours; fasting forces your body to repurpose cell components to function.

Caloric Restriction – By limiting your caloric intake, this too forces your cells into autophagy to compensate for the lost nutrients.

Following a ketogenic diet – By consuming a high-fat, low-carb diet, your body uses ketones for energy rather than glucose; ketosis stimulates autophagy.

Exercise – As little as 30 minutes of exercise can induce autophagy if skeletal and cardiac muscle tissue are stressed.

Saunas – The heat triggers a cellular response known as the heat shock response, which activates autophagy pathways.

Cold water immersion - The stress of the cold temperature leads to shivering and increased metabolic activity, which activates the autophagy pathway.

Botanicals to Boost Autophagy
Potent antioxidants not only protect cells. but also boost autophagy to repair them. Key botanicals include:

Curcumin (Turmeric): Well known for its anti-inflammatory effects, this polyphenol-rich compound has been shown to enhance autophagy by suppressing the PI3K-Akt–mTOR pathway and activating the ERK1/2 pathway.

Resveratrol (Red Grapes, Berries): With antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and apoptotic effects, this compounds can also be beneficial for brain health, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and joint pain.

Coffee: Caffeine can activate autophagy through the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway, inhibiting fat synthesis.

Matcha & Green Tea: Green tea catechins, particularly EGCG, can modulate autophagy through various mechanisms, including TFEB, mTOR, and AMPK.

Citrus Bergamot: Rich in antioxidant flavonoids, the primary compound, limonene, is found in the peels of citrus to help boost autophagy. Citrus bergamot may also benefit pain and anxiety.

Ginger: With anti-inflammatory effects, ginger may enhance autophagy to inhibit impaired oxidative homeostasis and lower pain levels.

Reishi Mushroom: Reishi has antioxidant properties, has immunomodulatory properties, and can stimulate autophagy.

Berberine: This bright yellow compound is well known for its beneficial effects on blood sugar, lipid metabolism, and gut function. It also functions to stimulate cellular autophagy and attenuate neuronal apoptosis by activating the AMPK/mTOR pathway.

Cacao: Cacao beans, not the added sugar in chocolate, but the cacao itself, is rich in polyphenols that can activate the cellular mechanisms of autophagy.

Olive Oil: Olive oil, also rich in polyphenols, can activate autophagy, helping cells break down and clear out intracellular debris and toxins.

Oregano: . Provides potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds; triggers autophagy, apoptosis, and cell necrosis.

Berries: Berries can promote autophagy, the brain's natural housekeeping mechanism, thereby reducing toxic protein accumulation.

Do Not Activate Autophagy 24/7
While autophagy is necessary and amazing, the goal is not to always be inducing this process. Autophagy as a catabolic process that digests and recycles waste, but you also need the anabolic processes to rebuild and repair cells as well. So, living in constant autophagy is not healthy either.

The goal is to naturally turn autophagy on and off and simultaneously integrate foods and botanicals that activate autophagy.

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Autophagy & Fasting Mimicking Diets

Tuesday, April 1st @ 12pm PST
Yes, you could induce autophagy with a prolonged water fast. However, water only for 4 or more days will certainly lead to loss of muscle mass. Additionally, water fasting for an extended period of time increases the potential of gallstones, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, nutrient deficiencies, and hunger. Water fasting is not recommended unless being medically supervised. A more approachable option is the fasting mimicking diet. This is a 5-day scientifically formulated plant-based structured meal plan where your body perceives that you’re fasting though you’re consuming some (but not a lot of) calories.

Research utilizing fasting mimicking diet programs report:

2/3 reduction or elimination reliance on medication
1.4% reduction in A1C values
59% reduced insulin resistance
22 lbs weight loss (while retaining lean body mass)
2.5 years biological age score reversal (with 3 consecutive cycles); continue 3 cycles annually for 20 years, results in a 11 year biological age score reversal

And a free giveaway - a free 5-day Fasting Kit ($199.99 value)! Everyone who registers will be eligible to win.

I, for one, am certainly intrigued by the concept of autophagy and how to use it to optimize our health. Hope to 'see' you on the 1st!

In Health,
Natalie