How does autophagy work and what are its benefits?

Autophagy is a process by which the body performs a major cleanse. This process is essential for cell renewal and the smooth running of all systems. Research shows that autophagy can help us stay fit as we age.

Most people rely on detoxing to eliminate waste. They use all sorts of remedies or diets to achieve this. But autophagy is a natural process in the body that occurs every moment of the day.

But what exactly is autophagy, what are its benefits? And is there a way to support this vital process? You can read all about it in this article.

Your body is like a factory. It's constantly active, with machines (organs) working. Goods are transported, and messages are circulated.

It's crucial that all systems work together well and that everything runs smoothly. A glitch can throw a lot of things off course.

That's why the factory, or your body, ensures that it's cleaned regularly. This way, the walkways don't get clogged and the machinery stays clean.

That's essentially what the process of autophagy does. Autophagy literally means "self-eating." In the body's case, it means it can clean itself.

Your body can also become clogged: cells die, proteins build up and oxidized particles can hinder the functioning of organs. All of this can accelerate the aging process and contribute to age-related diseases. [1]

Autophagy plays a role in maintaining your body and can therefore contribute to more robust health. It's a mechanism the body developed to better maintain itself.

Cells that no longer function are removed, and excess particles can be recycled. Without this cleansing process , the body would not be able to age healthily.

The anti-aging properties of autophagy are one of its greatest benefits [2] . This process allows the body to stop time for as long as possible. This is because it stimulates the production of young cells.

We don't yet know everything about autophagy, but it seems the mechanism evolved to increase our chances of survival. During external stress and times of famine, this process increases. This protects the body and can help us survive longer.

This allows the body to continue for longer, breaking down cell material and reusing it for vital processes. This is, of course, ideal in difficult times. When we were hunter-gatherers, it gave us a little more time to find a safe place with food.

It's even possible that autophagy can help prevent cancer. As we age, the process becomes less efficient. This can cause cells that are no longer functioning or harmful to divide. This is precisely what cancer cells do.

Autophagy is specifically designed to recognize and remove these damaged cells, explains Luiza Petre, a cardiologist and assistant clinical professor of cardiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

That's also why scientists are further investigating what this process can mean for cancer. Currently, there's no scientific evidence that autophagy can reduce the risk of cancer.

Petre points out that some studies do seem to indicate that autophagy could eliminate cancer cells [3] .

Neurogenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's, share some similarities. At the cellular and molecular levels, there is a common mechanism by which the disease develops.

This involves an abnormal, misfolded protein that is deposited. Autophagy is crucial in this process, as it can remove these proteins and dysfunctional organelles.

Preliminary studies have shown that stimulating autophagy can lead to a decrease in these toxic proteins [4] . In the areas of aging and neurodegenerative diseases, the process is indispensable.

Like everything else in the body, autophagy can be inhibited by stress, illness, toxins, or pollution. Age also plays a role.

Normally, this process runs quietly in the background. But when it runs into problems, it becomes impossible to keep your body and health in balance. There are things you can do yourself to support and stimulate autophagy.

Because autophagy is a process that actually increases its activity during times of stress, you essentially have to trick your body into thinking there's a small amount of stress at that moment.

If you limit your protein intake to about 15 to 25 grams per day once (or twice) a week, you encourage your body to metabolize protein. It will then start processing its own proteins and toxins. The process of autophagy kicks into action.

This helps reduce inflammation and also clears away old cells, without causing you to lose muscle mass.

Exercise is also important for the autophagy process. Research from 2018 showed that exercise can stimulate the body to do a major cleanse [5] . Both endurance training and interval training were suitable for this. The conclusion was that any form of exercise is beneficial in this case.

When exercising, it's good to remember that it's not about exhausting yourself completely. An intensive half-hour workout three times a week is sufficient.

It's about stimulating your body to exert itself for a short period of time, so it experiences acute stress. That's why interval training is considered the ideal training method for autophagy. The alternation between exertion and rest is good for giving your body that feeling of stress.

Nutrition can also support the autophagy process. Naomi Whittel, who wrote a book about this remarkable process, recommends the keto diet. According to her, we should eat more high-quality fats to activate the process.

Fats have a different structure than proteins. Proteins can be converted into carbohydrates and then into sugar. This cannot happen with fats.

When you follow the keto diet, your body uses fats instead of glucose for fuel. Research shows that this way of eating activates certain processes similar to those that occur when you fast. This can actually increase the process of autophagy [6] .

Intermittent fasting means fasting for a period of time. You choose to eat for a few hours each day and then fast for a period of time. There are several ways to do this, such as fasting every other day or eating for 8 hours a day and fasting for 16 hours.

Research shows that fasting can stimulate autophagy. The longer you go without eating, the better it is for this process. A 2010 study on mice showed that fasting for 24 to 48 hours promoted autophagy [7] .

Whether this also works for humans is not yet known. But intermittent fasting certainly has several health benefits, such as increased insulin sensitivity, weight loss, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Sleep also helps your body cleanse itself. Autophagy occurs on a circadian rhythm. If you sleep poorly, for example, too little or if your sleep is interrupted, this process can be disrupted [8] .

Autophagy is essentially your self-cleaning system, essential for keeping your body running smoothly. Without this process, we wouldn't be able to age healthily. All waste products, dysfunctional cells, and byproducts are removed through autophagy.

Not only that, it is also important to slow down the aging process, increase your chances of survival and reduce the risk of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Fortunately, your body regulates the autophagy process itself. But there are things you can do to stimulate it. For example, it's important to ensure a good night's sleep and sufficient exercise.

You can also promote autophagy through some dietary adjustments (such as intermittent fasting, temporarily eating less protein and a low-carb diet).