Introduction

The term autophagy might seem intimidating but it is a stimulating process going on in our bodies. Autophagy has its origins in the Greek words ‘auto’ meaning self and ‘phagy’ meaning to eat. It is a phenomenon that allows the physical system to self-clean and healthy itself. Picture a tiny Pacman, eating up cellular rubbish and detritus and removing the debris – it leaves clean and happy cells in its path.

Discovering Autophagy

Autophagy has been drawing attention of the scholars and scientists all over the globe because of its capability to modify the lives of billions. The discovery of autophagy by Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, a Nobel laureate, has paved the way for learning the importance of autophagy and its benefits.

This is evidenced by the fact that Dr. Elzbieta Janda, who is experimenting with the cholesterol-balancing effects of the fruit citrus-based diet, started exploring the subject of autophagy due to the research conducted by Dr. Oshinori Ohsumi. During a meeting in Calabria, Oshinori and Dr. Janda discussed the cardiovascular and cholesterol-reducing uses of a local plant known as citrus bergamot. This fruit, which is often used to make Earl Grey tea, has potential polyphenol properties that have traditionally been used to treat high cholesterol. When the less-known theory of autophagy was mentioned, it immediately sparked a desire to learn more.

Dr. Janda, a molecular biologist at the University Magna Graecia, has explained that citrus bergamot contains a high concentration of flavonoids, which are specifically found in the bitter rind (the pith). These flavonoids can expand the capacity for anti-aging in humans. This unique characteristic activates a function in our bodies called autophagy, which is not widely known.

Personal Journey with Autophagy

As long as five years ago when I delved into the research of aging and fasting, my fascination with autophagy was born. When Dr. Jander disclosed the fact that the fruit was initiating autophagy, a new craving had been kindled to understand more about the workings of this biological process. My personal experience turned out to be the starting point in making the power of autophagy accessible to the world.

Here are four simple and effective ways to achieve it.

Activating Autophagy: Top Four Methods

1. Sleep

The regenerative system of our body, sleep, is very essential for autophagy to start. As we sleep and our body keeps the engines running around the clock to ensure that the body commits to its utmost maintenance, this is when autophagy is predominantly active. As we clean a kitchen after cooking in it, autophagy tidies away cellular debris while we are asleep using it refreshed.

2. Incorporating Good Fats 

Autophagy loves the fat, especially the ketones produced in high fat low carbohydrates ketogenic diet. By adopting this diet, autophagy can be effectively induced, to initiate the body’s endogenous fasting response for rejuvenation. When on the ketogenic diet our bodies will begin to induce autophagy in a way similar to that which occurs while fasting. As your body shifts from being glucose-dependent to fat-dependent, autophagy allows the body to maintain energy homeostasis and create benefits from starvation as opposed to detriments.

3. Fasting

One of the best autophagy activators is intermittent fasting, which consists of specified and limited time windows for eating. When we give our bodies the period to fast, we trigger autophagy, which in turn results in boosted energy, and better mental clarity, among other advantages. Studies performed on animals suggest that the recycling process begins between 24-48 hours of fasting. Intermittent fasting on alternate days and skipping one meal by cutting the eating window by at least 14 hours was found to be beneficial. One can achieve astounding outcomes with a simple daily fasting habit. Additionally, water fasting without sugar intake is another effective method for weight loss and slowing down aging.

4. Exercise

Autophagy also has positive feedback with exercise, especially under stress-response exercise. One can release autophagy through interval training since the high-intensity moments at rest and rest can be very effective in releasing it. In addition, bodyweight resistance training or yoga can serve as a simple and effective method to drive autophagy.

Harnessing Autophagy for Well-being

A lot of people now are not making use of the possibility of their bodies the way we could if we included these autophagy-activation techniques in our lives. Taking advantage of the endogenous means of our organism, such as autophagy, we can solve a wide range of health-related problems starting from weight control and ending up with autoimmune diseases.

If your natural recycling mechanism doesn’t work, damaged cells and their parts start to accumulate in the body. And it ends up unable to neutralize cancer cells and cells infected by dangerous viruses and bacteria. As a result, this can lead to various serious illnesses. Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi found out that autophagy gets more intensive when the body is undergoing some stress. Such stress can be fasting, calorie restriction, or even starvation.

In all his studies, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi used starvation and fasting to encourage the body to break down toxic cells and get rid of all the garbage. Intermittent fasting, which is alternating the periods of eating and fasting, can help your body to clean itself. Besides, it can help you to lose weight and speed up your metabolism. – If you’re a newbie in the world of fasting and the practice looks a bit intimidating, start with skipping your meals. In general, it’s enough to skip one meal a day to boost your metabolism and trigger cleansing processes in your body. Just remember that if you’ve skipped a meal, you shouldn’t overeat at the next one. One more interesting conclusion you can draw from this research is that, despite what some people think, vegetarians don’t suffer from a lack of animal protein. They just get it differently.

Conclusion

The process of autophagy can, therefore, be a remarkable reveal of the wonders that occur in our bodies when they are left to heal by themselves. We have the strength in ourselves to purify, rejuvenate, and flourish. By sleeping, consuming good fats, fasting, and exercising, we can unlock this potential for autophagy, leading us on the path to a fitter, more active life.