What is autophagy anyway?

Autophagy or autophagocytosis describes the self-cleaning process of cells in the human body. Its purpose is to keep the cells healthy and fit.

Our body is a marvel. It carries out cell cleaning autonomously. This means that cells are deliberately destroyed and broken down when they are sick or damaged. New cells are built to replace the non-functional ones, which are converted into energy.

The body does this automatically, but it can be consciously supported from the outside. This includes a low-sugar and low-carbohydrate diet, interval training, strength training, coffee, and of course fasting.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting refers to regular fasting over a specific period. Normally, fasting is particularly known from the Christian religion during the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter. During this time, one deliberately abstains from certain foods. What has a religious significance also has many positive health effects.

The body is placed in a state of deficiency, begins to break down harmful fats, but also has the necessary time to cleanse itself, as it is not busy with digestion. Animal studies showed, for example, that the pancreas of diabetic mice was able to completely regenerate through regular fasting, and the diabetes was cured. Current studies in humans are also very promising.

Intermittent fasting does not limit itself to a longer period but rather to a day or several hours. This means that you eat for 8 hours and fast for 16. For example, one can eat whatever they want from 11 AM to 7 PM during one of the many fasting variants, after which everything except water and tea is off-limits.

How does intermittent fasting support autophagy?

Regular fasting has the disadvantage that the body, after a certain point, also does not receive enough nutrients from reserves to provide sufficient energy to the body. It falls into a kind of sleep and switches to power-saving mode. When energy in the form of food is then reintroduced, it is immediately absorbed and stored as fat for future “emergency phases” (as how the body stores a longer fasting period). This creates the famous yo-yo effect.

If the sleep phase lasts too long, the cells die off. This is avoided with intermittent fasting. Neither do cells die off, nor does the body fall into a sleep state. The limited deficiency of nutrients is only used during intermittent fasting to break down sick and dead cells.

Currently, some experts recommend eating 5 to 6 meals throughout the day to keep the insulin level continuously high, thus also avoiding hunger attacks. However, the problem is that the body is constantly running on food processing and has no time to take care of cell cleansing. Therefore, the cells remain in the body even though they cannot work. Intermittent fasting also has a very positive effect on blood sugar levels and its regulation, so the constant meals are no longer necessary.

Intermittent fasting, preferably with a large glass of water or tea in the morning (of course, a cup of coffee is also allowed), without milk and sugar, ensures that the body receives energy and then has the opportunity to lower the insulin level, thus transitioning to cell cleansing.

Through intermittent fasting, cells can be broken down that can potentially lead to ulcers or possibly cancer. Numerous studies also show positive effects here. The body recognizes that they are not functioning and converts them into energy. Thus, the danger is contained.

Conclusion: Autophagy in connection with intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting positively influences autophagy. Because there is little restriction and everything is allowed during the eating time, it is not a diet and thus does not lead to a yo-yo effect. It helps to renew the cells regularly and also to prevent mutations.

The BodyFast app specifically targets this effect. With an individualized fasting program, tailored precisely to you and your goals, you will feel the health benefits even faster and reach your target weight more quickly than with regular fasting programs. Just give it a try!