Autophagy - a way to repair the body

Can we repair our bodies ourselves, like superheroes? Whenever we look at the heroes of Marvel's and DC's films and series, we wonder so many times "what would have to happen for them to really feel the effects of the next huge catastrophe." This indestructibility status is of course the domain of comic fiction, but - interestingly and importantly - we also have the possibility to "force" the body to run accelerated biological regeneration processes in a controlled manner. What is self-healing and autophagy?
In this article, we will introduce you to a few issues related to the immune system:
Is self-healing of the body possible?
What diet to use to induce this condition?
Activating autophagy through exercise - how and how much?
Is autophagy a recipe for longevity and immunity?
What are the contraindications for this process?
The Japanese Yoshinori Ōsumi, a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, received the prestigious Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for his discovery in 2016. He described in detail the mechanisms of autophagy, the body's natural ability to target and eliminate damaged cells. Importantly, this process can also be triggered by a proper diet based on ... fasting.

Check here: Urolithin B Supplement

free amp templates

Autophagocytosis, i.e. pro-health self-eating

The passage of time, free radicals, constant stress - many factors contribute to the fact that some of the cells present in the human body are irretrievably damaged. The presence of defective mitochondria promotes the development of disease states and various disadvantages in many systems, from the immune to the nervous. The organism - both in animals and directly in humans - has up its sleeve for this occasion, which is "auto" and "phage", or "me" and "food".
So we consume our own tissues at the cellular level to get rid of the damaged ones through a simple metabolic process. It is a method of self-cleaning and self-healing of the body, which has a significant impact on longevity. It is important that the reverse process also takes place, i.e. biogenesis. It involves the duplication of healthy mitochondria in place of those undergoing autophagy.

Two methods to trigger autophagy

Research related to autophagy is relatively recent. Scientists are still trying to find out what and how much influences these processes, observing primarily the behavior of animal organisms, and even yeasts and molds. One of the first observations in humans showed that intense physical exercise has a positive effect on the stimulation of these processes. The body perceives such a situation as stressful, but of course in this good context.
In this case, it is not the immune system that is directly supported, but the metabolic system - the liver and pancreas, and the muscles and adipose tissue involved in its regulation. Importantly, to intensify autophagy, it is not enough to do a few squats. Training with an interval structure with at least a 30% range of exercises of high intensity gives the best results. In addition, it is worth doing it for up to 400 minutes a week! Perks? Better condition and, it turns out, longer life as well.
Method number two is diet. It has been known for a long time that she works well with paired exercises, not only on the occasion of the desire to lose unnecessary kilograms. Therefore, it is worth using both recommendations in parallel, of course, always when there are no other contraindications.

Diet and fasting serve the organism's self-healing

So far, the greatest impact of three fairly extreme dietary recommendations has been reported. Perhaps soon scientists will discover something new, but for now it remains to be content with these options:
Medical fasting. Like vigorous exercise, it is considered a stress factor by the brain. At such moments, autophagy turns on in the body, and it is no different this time. It is worth remembering that limiting the number of calories consumed should be temporary, and you will certainly need to take care of the correct portion of minerals at a later time - a dietitian's advice will be useful here.
Intermittent fasting. Known in many circles under the foreign name of intermittent fasting, it assumes a slightly different approach to the subject than fasting, although it has its features. In short, it is abstaining from a meal at a certain time during the day or week. Outside of fasting, you can eat normally - periods of break stimulate autophagy.
Ketogenic diet. This is quite a radical solution, where carbohydrates disappear from the diet and fats appear in larger ones. Thanks to this, you eat less and you do not feel hungry, although it occurs physically in the body that is used to different functioning. As we know from the previous examples, if there is hunger, there is also autophagy. However, the induction of the ketosis process closely related to this diet should be very careful as it can have many side effects.
Of the three methods of nutrition given above, only intermittent fasting is suitable for longer use, although in this case some doctors and nutritionists take a lot of caution. On the other hand, in the case of a ketogenic diet, you need to be extremely vigilant, because keeping it for more than 2-3 months may cause a significant decrease in well-being.

Is it only the effect on immunity that makes autophagy so interesting to scientists?

to scientists?
The list of positive effects of autophagy is growing, constantly enriched with new discoveries:
DNA protection,
prevention of tissue necrosis,
improvement of brain structure and neuroplasticity,
protection against amyloid diseases,
counteracting the effects of oxidative stress within the mitochondria,
influence on immunity by excluding cellular pathogens.
Most of the above is unclear to an ordinary mortal, but the fact that doctors are still examining autophagy in the treatment of cancer, Alzheimer's, neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson's is imaginative.
It is also worth mentioning that controlling - including blocking - autophagy can have a large impact on the development of cancer. While this process is very positive in healthy cells, it can have a completely different effect in cancer cells. Therefore, it must be remembered that even the best lifestyle determines in every human being the periodic need to be examined, especially if he is in the risk group.