Automated Autophagy

The word "autophagy" originates from Greek roots.

"Auto" means "self" in Greek, and "phagein" means "to eat."

Therefore, "autophagy" literally translates to "self-eating.

Think of a recycle center. The recycle center repurposes damaged cells and molecules for reuse.

Autophagy is a cellular event and a necessary function of the body. The impairment of autophagy is involved in the development of many diseases.

The list includes

Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

Metabolic disorders like insulin resistance and diabetes

Cancer

Cardiovascular disease

Autoimmune disorders

Infectious disease

The list goes on, but the point it is a heavy lifter in the operations of the cellular machinery.

You'll see that I frequently get excited about the intricacies of cellular processes in my newsletters. The diseases we frequently observe occur when irreparable harm begins in a single cell and spreads throughout the body, resulting in widespread disease.

The importance of autophagy

It creates cellular balance

Lysosomes break down damaged components once they engulf them. This breakdown process releases various building blocks, such as amino acids, fatty acids, and sugars. The cell can use these recycled materials to produce energy or construct new cellular structures, enhancing cellular health and function.

It is essential for adaptations to stress

By clearing damaged components and providing a source of nutrients, autophagy helps the cell adapt to and survive stressful conditions, maintaining cellular balance and homeostasis

Cell differentiation and development

Autophagy plays a role in regulating cell growth and division by eliminating unwanted or excess cellular material. This helps ensure cells grow and divide properly, preventing aberrant growth or proliferation that could disrupt cellular balance and lead to diseases such as cancer.

Metabolic Disorders and lifespan

As cells age, they reach a functional limit. Close the to end the cell slowly becomes dysfunctional or unnecessary. The body has a way to trash or disregard these cells and recycle cellular components. Physics at work in the body. Basically conservation of energy allowing.

Autophagy activity decreases as we age. This leads to the buildup of damaged macromolecules and cellular components because of the reduced autophagy. The damage that builds up over time decreases our lifespan.

Certain animal models show that turning on genes which enhance autophagy increases lifespan.

For example

Mortality rates rise with conditions like Diabetes, sarcopenia, obesity, and insulin resistance. These disease processes are linked to overeating and lack of physical activity. Excessive fat accumulation occurs in not just the fat cells but also the liver, skeletal muscle, and around the visceral organs because of chronic calorie surplus. Let's cut to the chase. This metabolic state causes chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Autophagy not only proves to be a protective mechanism with severe metabolic derangement but also the research shows autophagy plays a critical role in removing fat droplets, cellular debris and damaged proteins.

Increasing autophagy will extend your lifespan and promote a healthier existence.

How do we activate autophagy?

Calorie restriction and Intermittent Fasting

Activation of autophagy occurs when calorie restriction signals cellular energy scarcity, leading cells to prioritize recycling for survival and maintenance.

Exercise

Acute endurance exercise enhances autophagic activity in the heart, liver, fat tissue, and pancreatic cells. Just like chronic disease linked long term negative effects, chronic exercise leads to epigenetic changes which increase the baseline activity of autophagy.

Exercise induced autophagy leads to improved mitochondrial quality control and protein turnover. Not to mention metabolic adaptations and blood vessel creation.

Spermidine

Spermidine is a natural polyamine. As people age, the naturally occurring intracellular molecule spermidine decreases, but it is linked to longer lifespan. Animal models show that this natural compound guards against weight gain and glucose intolerance caused by a high-fat diet.

Consider consuming foods naturally high in spermidine, such as soybeans, wheat germ, mushrooms, green peas, broccoli, and aged cheeses like cheddar or Swiss cheese.

Polyphenols

These plant compounds, which come from natural sources, are powerful triggers of autophagy.

Foods high in polyphenols include berries, dark chocolate, nuts, green tea, and spices."

Summary

Impairment of the autophagy process leads to a multimodal dysfunction of cascading negative effects on cellular function. This decreases life expectancy and creates an opportunity for poor health and a lower quality of life. The body benefits from optimal autophagy, as it creates an environment conducive to excellent metabolic health. Although it is challenging to measure autophagy activity in real time or as a reliable health metric, adopting lifestyle changes that promote optimal autophagy could contribute to a longer and healthier life.