What is Autophagy?

Autophagy is the process where our body breaks down and reuses old and damaged cell parts so it can be more efficient. It is a recycling process that occurs to improve cell function as cells become defective and don’t perform optimally.

The benefits of autophagy are the elimination of older cells that are more prone to disease, improvement in mitochondrial health, and the elimination of cells infected with viruses. This reduces the stress on the body and makes us more resilient and less susceptible to inflammation.

The most powerful way to stimulate autophagy is by fasting for extended periods of time. Research shows a 5 day water fast achieves high levels of autophagy. However, you can achieve good results from daily intermittent fasting for 16 hours or through a fasting mimicking diet where you consume 800-1100 calories for 5 days. Additionally, a ketogenic diet mimics fasting and is a good tool to increase autophagy as well.

Additionally, exercise and sleep as well as anti-inflammatory herbs such as resveratrol, curcumin, ECGC and quercetin help make the process more efficient.