Fasting to Activate Autophagic Detoxification

The history of fasting dates back to before the fifth century and has cultural and even religious significance. As fasting became more popular, physicians began exploring its therapeutic benefits and it soon became one of the most ancient and widespread medical practices in the world. The first physician to study such an effect was the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, recommending fasting for certain medical conditions. In the many years since then, it has been used for its health benefits, for political protest, or for cultural/religious events. Here we will explore fasting’s health implications and how it activates autophagy, conferring more widespread, long-lasting health benefits.

How Does Fasting Work?

There are many different ways to practice fasting. The safest and most beneficial type is Intermittent Fasting, which has many models based on the length of the phases of eating and fasting. Periods can be anything from 8 hours fasted to a whole day or two. It is important to consult with a health practitioner in order to find out what fasting practice is best for you and your body, especially if you have health complications.

When you fast, your body goes through phases where it switches where its primary energy source comes from. There are four phases.

• Phase 1 - Fed State - up to 4 hours after eating

  • Blood sugar increases, insulin is released

  • Extra sugar that is unused in energy production is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen

  • Body releases Leptin (satiety hormone) and absorbs Ghrelin (hunger hormone)

• Phase 2 - Early Fasting State - 4 to 18 hours after eating

  • Blood sugar and insulin decrease

  • Glycogen stored in the liver and muscles begins converting back to usable sugar, in the form of glucose

  • When glycogen runs out, lipolysis begins, where fat is broken down into molecules it can use for energy. This is what many refer to as the “metabolic switch”

• Phase 3 - Fasted State - 18 hours to 2 days

  • The body turns fat into ketones, using them as its only energy source

  • Ghrelin drops off, decreasing appetite

  • Autophagy begins, recycling unnecessary or non-functional cellular components and toxins into usable parts

• Phase 4 - Long Term Fasting State or Starvation State - 48+ hours

  • The body runs out of fat and begins to break down proteins and muscle for energy. This happens at different speeds depending on your body type and body fat percentage.

When fasting is meant to be therapeutic, medical providers are leveraging the changes that come at the end of phase two and into phase three, because that is the point in which the body starts consuming fats and waste molecules for energy. Many of the long term benefits are seen after 18 hours, when autophagy is activated, as explained later in this article.

Benefits of Fasting

Fasting, when done under the supervision of a professional, can have many positive outcomes. This is especially true of someone with type two diabetes or obesity. Some benefits are;

• Increased sensitivity to glucose and insulin

• Markedly lower levels of harmful fats in circulation (cholesterol) and in the liver

• Decrease in inflammatory markers

• Decrease in age-related loss of muscle mass

• Generation of mitochondria (cellular energy producers) and increased mitochondrial stress tolerance

• Decrease in blood pressure and resting heart rate

• Improved cognition

• Neuroprotective effects that decrease age/degenerative disease-related loss of brain mass

• Weight loss

Many of these changes are mediated by a decrease in oxidative stress, which is damage to your tissues caused by charged particles. Free radicals and reactive oxygen species are acquired from your environment and are also produced in your body as a byproduct of metabolic processes. They carry a charge and attempt to latch on to your cells and tissues in order to become stable. This can cause unwanted mutations or interfere with the normal workings of your bodily systems.
 

What is Autophagy?

Fasting activates your body’s natural detoxification system, through a mechanism called autophagy, which was discovered by a Japanese cell biologist, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, who won a Nobel Prize in 2016 for this research. Autophagy is when special cells called lysosomes “eat” and dispose of things in your body. It may eat malfunctioning cells, free radicals, reactive oxygen species, cellular waste products, organelles, and other toxins in the blood and organs. It then uses the broken down particles to build new organelles, repair tissues, or produce energy. The lysosomes effectively clear out unwanted or malfunctioning byproducts, increasing the effectiveness of your body systems.

The ability of the body to reduce oxidative stress through autophagy ultimately suppresses many accumulative inflammatory processes and age-related diseases. Oxidative stress is associated with numerous chronic pathological processes, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, thalassemia, cancers, chronic kidney disease, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.(5)
 

Is Fasting the Only Way to Activate Autophagy?

Autophagy is best and most reliably activated by periods of fasting but can be incited by other methods, like performing certain types of exercise or increasing consumption of particular foods.

Exercise

Another way to boost autophagy is exercise. Though all exercise boosts autophagy, endurance exercise has been found to be the most effective. For muscle adaptation to happen (increase of muscular endurance or strength), re-use of cellular products is necessary. Specifically, your body is generating new blood vessels and mitochondria to better fuel the increased demand from your muscles. This turnover is always in flux based on your activity level, which is why long-term endurance adaptations are superior in increasing autophagy.

Diet

Another way to boost your body’s ability to detoxify itself is by consuming antioxidant or anti-inflammatory foods such as those that contain;

• Flavonoids - often found in fruits
• Iso-Flavones - found in legumes
• Resveratrol - found in grape skins and peas
• Circumin - found in turmeric

These foods have antioxidant capabilities themselves, but they also increase the expression of genes that encode for increased autophagy or apoptosis (intentional cell death) when cells are damaged. They reduce disease prevalence, neuro-degenerative pathologies, oxidative stress, and negative effects associated with aging.
 

Fasting as Part of an Integrative Strategy for Healing

Fasting to activate autophagy is a powerful method for detoxification and resetting the body’s baseline homeostasis, and it has been used for thousands of years. In modern society, many of us tend to over-indulge in foods and end up overeating in order to achieve satisfaction for the mind rather than the body.

Many cultures around the world have been safely including fasting techniques as a spiritual or mindful practice for thousands of years. By eliminating toxins in the body and the mind altogether, we can effectively connect the body, soul, and the spirit. It is through that connection that we can unravel the true needs of the body and the inner voice.

If you are interested in learning more about fasting and other holistic healing methods for your acute or chronic conditions, please feel free to contact us and set up a free phone/virtual consultation.

Disclaimer

This article “Fasting to Activate Autophagic Detoxification” was originally created and published by LoveandCompassion.com under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Mika Ichihara, M.S., L.Ac., LL.M., B.Phar., Founder, Owner and Grand Master in Eastern Medicine and Energy Soul Medicine. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution and author bio. For more information about her and her practice, please visit www.loveandcompassion.com.

References

1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/stages-of-fasting#The-bottom-line
2. https://nysteia.com/live-well/societal-health/history-fasting-nysteia-revival-3000-years-forgotten-truth
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1274154/pdf/westjmed00207-0055.pdf
4. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.22065
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9585624/