Autophagy: Is the Self-Eating Process of the Body Beneficial?

Autophagy is a fundamental cleansing and repairing process that occurs within your body's cells. In literal terms, “autophagy” means the self-eating capability of the body. You may be intrigued to know about how this seemingly scary process can be beneficial to us, but the fact is that autophagy is one of the most important cellular processes taking place inside our body.

This article will explain this intriguing phenomenon of autophagy, the specific ways in which you can trigger this process inside your body, and the symptoms that you may observe if you're undergoing autophagy.

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What is Autophagy?

Autophagy is the recycling process equivalent of the body (Image by Kjpargeter on Freepik)

Autophagy is the "janitor" of the internal body, which removes and recycles the dysfunctional cells or parts of cells while salvaging the functioning parts for repair. This process ensures the growth of new, younger cells in the body, which is also said to promote the process of anti-aging.

Autophagy is as important for our body as regular cleaning is for our homes. It promotes healthier cellular functioning, protection against pathogens, and a reduced risk of cancer as well. It subsequently results in an optimized cell performance and also helps maintain its overall health.

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Symptoms of Autophagy

Autophagy leads to fatigue in the initial period (Image by Kjpargeter on Freepik)

Identifying whether your body is undergoing autophagy or not can be a bit tedious and confusing. The symptoms of autophagy are not readily visible or noticeable.

However, here are some common symptoms observed in most cases of autophagy, that you can try to notice within yourselves.

1. Suppressed Appetite

Autophagy leads to a shift in the levels of glucagon and insulin hormones. Due to an increased level of glucagon in the body, the appetite is dampened.

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2. Elevated Ketone Levels

The process of autophagy is triggered by the keto diet, which subsequently leads to increased ketone levels in the body. This ketone level is measurable in blood, urine, or even breath.

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3. Initial Fatigue

The autophagy-inducing methods come with a change in the primary energy source of the body. The body takes a while to adapt to this change, due to which, you may experience fatigue or reduced stamina during the initial stages, but it usually gets resolved on its own with time.

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4. Weight Management

Autophagy is not observed to cause weight loss on its own, generally, as it is just causing the replacement of old cells with new ones. However, the habit changes, triggering autophagy, which can potentially promote weight loss and maintenance of a healthy weight.

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5. Enhanced Cognitive Function

During autophagy, the ketone levels in the body increase, which can potentially lead to better brain health. Some studies also linked a reduction in the symptoms of certain brain diseases like Parkinson's, due to high ketone levels.

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Can Autophagy be Triggered in the Body?

Autophagy is triggered when the body cells are stressed and forced to enter the survival mode (Image by Kjpargeter on Freepik)

While it may seem like a completely natural process, it is possible to trigger or increase autophagy in the body through some external means. Here are some methods that you can adopt to induce autophagy.

• Intermittent fasting can help induce autophagy as it can cause the body cells to enter survival mode.
• Reducing calorie intake causes the body cells to start autophagy in order to sustain themselves. This method is less intense than fasting.
• Switching to a high-fat, low-carb diet, that is the keto diet, can trigger autophagy. This is because this diet causes a shift in the body’s primary energy source from carbohydrates to fats.
• Skeletal muscle exercises are observed to trigger autophagy-related proteins in the body as well.

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In conclusion, autophagy is a scientific cellular process that might seem to be overwhelming when you hear about it, but it is one of the most important processes taking place inside our body. Autophagy ensures proper maintenance and working of the body cells, along with preventing many other ailments like pathogen attacks or cancer.

High ketone levels, reduced appetite, etc. are common symptoms of this process, and we can also induce autophagy in the body through tactics like fasting, exercising, or lesser carb intake.