Fasting & Autophagy

In Nutrition, I studied that there are 11 possible processes that enhance longevity but only one out of the 11 had been studied scientifically. Fasting is the only proven method of improving our chances of longevity. Now newer research has begun to throw light at why that is so. Before we get into the process itself, it’s important to understand the term “Autophagy”. Derived from the Greek, it means – “to eat oneself” though in a natural, benign and healthier way. Scientifically it is defined as “the basic catabolic mechanism that involves cell degradation of unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components”

Think of Autophagy as a natural housekeeping process at the cellular level. It is a cell’s defense mechanism that enables it to remove the trash, recycle the contents and enable an efficient energy management system. It begins with the identification of damaged intra-cellular components. This activates autophagy genes and a double membrane “autophagosome” is pressed into service. This organelle engulfs the damaged cell component and within it, enzymes start to break away the damaged component into basic amino & fatty acids to be used elsewhere.

A recent study found that autophagy is “strongly induced” by starvation (fasting) when cells begin to adapt to the nutrient deprived state. I’m not getting into the mechanisms at play, but if you are interested in further information, you can read the study here. The body’s intelligence ensures that the autophagy is very selective in nature. It will begin with devouring the unessential at first, and keep the ultimate aim of survival topmost in mind. It is also believed that selective autophagy comes into play as a protective mechanism during inflammatory stress & more serious diseases like cancer.

As I delve deeper into nutritional science, our old traditions start to make so much sense. I remember growing up with my grandfather fasting on two days a week. On those days he would only consume fruits during the daylight hours. I’ve never seen him with any excessive weight and it is little wonder that he lived to be a robust 91. With knowledge of autophagy, the Jain and the Ramzan fasts start to make sense.

Somewhere at the back of my mind, I had the inclination to start Intermittent Fasting (IF). In IF one has to allow the digestive system some rest to repair itself. It is believed that our food remains in the alimentary tract for about 12 hours after eating. Peristalsis (the movement of food back and forth) ensures that our body digests all there is to digest before discarding any waste. So the idea behind IF is to give an extra 4 hours in the least for the digestive system to repair and heal itself. That’s a total of 16 hours of enforced fasting when only water is permitted. For best results the eating window is restricted to between 12 noon & 8 pm. Trying IF only a couple of days a week will also show all round health improvement immediately. It looks like, that I’m going to be fasting intermittently sooner than later. Autophagy, here I come.