Over the past year, I’ve been feeling my age. Now that I’m quickly approaching my sixth decade, joint stiffness, body aches, and other unwanted signs have become part of my daily life. I remembered hearing about one of my mom’s good friends, who in late middle age started running half-marathons and “cured all her aches and pains.” Inspired by her story, I decided to prioritize my exercise program and joined my local Orange Theory Fitness. I also seriously cut down on processed foods in my diet. The result has been incredible—like I turned back the clock several years! This isn’t a paid promotion; it’s a personal testimony that I want to share because it makes me really excited.
I discovered that this “fountain of youth” has a name: autophagy. It’s the body's natural process of cleaning out damaged cells and regenerating healthier ones by breaking down and recycling old cell parts. This essential process helps to prevent cellular stress, inflammation, and cell death. When autophagy is disrupted, toxic proteins accumulate in cells, leading to diseases like osteoarthritis, diabetes, and memory loss, among others.
The great news is that we can boost autophagy through healthy lifestyle choices. Exercise and calorie restriction are two effective methods. By incorporating regular physical activity and making smart dietary choices, you can start feeling younger and healthier. What was once considered an inevitable part of aging can be slowed or even partially reversed through enhanced autophagy.
Processed foods high in sugar and unhealthy fats impair autophagy, creating a negative cycle. Even if you eat a healthy diet, consuming too many calories can slow down autophagy, leading to a buildup of toxic proteins, cellular stress, chronic inflammation, and eventually, cell death. These disruptions can contribute to insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Chronic inflammation also plays a role in heart disease, cancer, autoimmune conditions, and accelerated aging.
Exercise is another powerful way to induce autophagy. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, simply starting an exercise program can initiate this process. However, autophagy can plateau, so if your current exercise routine isn't delivering results, you might need to mix things up, adjust your diet, or both.
Triggering autophagy involves multiple factors like energy depletion, hormone release (such as adrenaline and noradrenaline), mechanical stress on muscles, new mitochondria creation, moderate production of reactive oxygen species, and temporary nutrient deprivation. Certain exercise routines and diets are known to encourage these conditions. For example, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which consists of short, intense exercise periods followed by recovery times, or Intermittent Fasting, which limits eating periods, can effectively stimulate autophagy by achieving these necessary conditions.
Autophagy, as wonderful as it seems, is a complex process and is not yet the “fountain of youth” we hope to find. Recent research reveals that excessive autophagy can even be harmful in some situations. While the search for the “fountain of youth” continues, making conscious lifestyle choices to boost autophagy can help mitigate aging effects and prevent various diseases, contributing to a healthier and longer life. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m too young to be feeling this old,” it’s probably true. Fight for a younger, healthier life today.
Disclaimer: Autophagy is a complicated process. This blog was not intended to be taken as medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship was established. For guidance, talk to your physician or lifestyle medicine certified health professional.
Shabkhizan R, et al. The Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Autophagic Response to Caloric Restriction and Fasting. Adv Nutr. 2023 Sep;14(5):1211-1225. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.07.006
Arnone D,et al. Long-Term Overconsumption of Fat and Sugar Causes a Partially Reversible Pre-inflammatory Bowel Disease State. Front Nutr. 2021 Nov 18;8:758518. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.758518.
Escobar, K, et al. Autophagy is Stimulated by Acute High-Intensity Interval Training Exercise in Human Skeletal Muscle. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2019 June 51(Supplement):496. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000561990.29320.b6
Aman, Y et al. Autophagy in Healthy Aging and Disease. Nature Aging 2021 Aug; 1:634-650. doi: 10.1038/s43587-021-00098-4
