For the first time, the concept of autophagy appeared in scientific research in the middle of the 20th century. Then scientists discovered that each cell is able to self-purify and self-destruct, and these processes lead to the improvement and rejuvenation of the body as a whole. The complete method of cleansing the body on the principle of autophagy was described by the Japanese scientist biologist Yoshinori Osumi in 2016. It should be noted that for his scientific work, Yoshinori received the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
In fact, autophagy is a continuous mechanism of self-purification of the body. The word itself is translated from Greek as samoedenie (auto – “self”, phagos – “eat”). Autophagy processes occur in the body continuously, but with different intensity, every minute cells die, and new ones appear in their place. The meaning of the purification technique is to make this process more active and make the body get rid of old, unnecessary, obsolete cells.
How it works
Autophagy is inherent only in mammals and in animals these processes work as they should on the instincts laid down by nature, but a person needs to make an effort to launch an intensive mechanism of self-purification.
The first and easiest way to trigger the mechanisms of autophagy is fasting. It is clear that fasting for a long time without prior preparation is not recommended to anyone. The method suggests fasting 1-2 times a week. The body does not receive useful substances from the outside and begins to actively spend the internal resource, the first to use the damaged and old parts of the cell.
If your body is not ready for such drastic measures, fasting can be replaced with a raw food diet. During the day (no more than 1-2 times a week), you can only eat raw vegetables and drink water. Exclude tea and coffee.
The third way to start the processes of autophagy is considered a diet in which a person consumes 30-40% less calories from the daily norm. The diet consists mainly of vegetables, fermented milk products, vegetable fats, fish and cereals. Of course, such a diet should not be prescribed to yourself.
Nutrition in autophagy
Scientific studies prove that with interval fasting, autophagy processes are triggered quickly and efficiently. It’s all about the hormone glucagon – it’s the opposite hormone to insulin. When a person takes food, the amount of insulin in the body increases and the process of autophagy is suppressed. When a person goes hungry, the hormone glucagon is produced, which is necessary to start the cleansing processes.
It is important not to overdo it in the matter of fasting, the body with prolonged and too frequent fasting can switch to healthy cells, which will lead to serious consequences.
The most common fasting pattern will be 1 in 2 or 1 in 3, where the first day is a complete fast on water, and the next two or three in normal mode. You should not eat too much the next day after fasting, you should leave the fast gradually, so as not to shock the body. On the day of fasting, it is important to drink a lot of water, hunger will come in waves and after a glass of water recede for several hours. In order not to get hung up on it, it is better to do the usual things, try not to think about food. In case of any ailments, such as dizziness, headache, stomach pain, you should stop fasting. Many people already after the first week in this mode note a rise in vitality, improvement in mood, normalization of blood pressure.
Medicine about autophagy
Doctors do not reject the fact that interval fasting helps to cleanse and rejuvenate the body, methods of therapeutic fasting have been actively used in medical institutions since the middle of the last century. However, whether the body is ready for purification by autophagy, can only be determined by a specialist. Doctors recommend that you pass all tests to identify contraindications.
Contraindications to interval fasting can be gastrointestinal diseases, ulcers, gastritis, a tendency to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes in any form, oncology, dystrophy, breastfeeding and pregnancy.
Thus, it is necessary to understand that any sudden changes in the diet, and even more so hunger strikes, even if not long-term, should take place under the supervision of a doctor in order to avoid negative consequences for your health.