I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE WHAT I THINK IS LIKELY TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION THAT HELPS US MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LONGEVITY.
YOSHINORI OHSUMI WON THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR HIS SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS AND DESCRIPTION OF AUTOPHAGY. AUTOPHAGY IS THE BODY’S NATURAL MECHANISM OF GARBAGE COLLECTION AND RECYCLING. AUTOPHAGY IS ESSENTIAL TO ENERGY BALANCE, METABOLSIM, CONTROLLING INFLAMMATION AND PREVENTING TISSUE DEGENERATION, WHICH IS THE SAME AS SAYING THAT IT HELPS PREVENT THE AGING PROCESS IN GENERAL.
BUT WHAT TURNS THIS PROCESS ON? AUTOPHAGY IS TRIGGERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMES OF WHICH THE MOST COMMON IS THE ABSENCE OF FOOD OR FASTING.
ABOVE WE HAVE A SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF HOW AUTOPHAGY OCCURS. TRIGGERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMES, THE CELL FORMS AUTOPHAGASOMES THAT ENGULF AND COLLECT DAMAGED OR FOREIGN INTRACELLULAR COMPONENTS WHICH ARE THEN DIGESTED AND RECYCLED TO BE USED AS FUEL OR TO SAVE AS BUILDING BLOCKS FOR FUTURE GROWTH. BELOW WE HAVE THE SAME PROCESS SHOWN IN AN ELECTRON MICROGRAPH OF A LIVING CELL.
IT IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO ME THAT AUTOPHAGY WAS MEANT TO BE OCCURING ON A ROUTINE BASIS DURING OUR LIVES TO TUNE UP AND MAINTAIN HEALTH. THE LOGICAL EXTENSION IS THAT HUMANS WERE NOT MEANT TO BE EATING AS MUCH OR AS OFTEN AS WE DO.
SO WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE US…
EVERYONE’S FAVORITE TOPIC, FASTING. I WANT TO DISCUSS THIS BUT ALSO CLARIFY THAT THIS IS ONLY ONE PART OF MAINTAINING YOUR HEALTH!
THE TOPIC OF FASTING BRINGS UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS… AND PANIC, SO LET’S REVIEW WHAT IS SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN. WHY SHOULD WE FAST?
FASTING TURNS ON AUTOPHAGY AND ACTIVATES OUR STEM CELLS. FASTING ALLOWS THE BODY TO REST FROM DIGESTION AND DIVERTS ENERGY TOWARD OTHER VITAL PROCESSES IN THE BODY. SUPRISINGLY, 60% OF OUR METABOLISM IS DEVOTED TO DIGESTION WITH ONLY 40% LEFT TO PERFORM OTHER VITAL FUNCTIONS. FASTING TRIGGERS A HUGE METABOLIC REST. HORMONES REBALANCE. INSULIN AND GROWTH HORMONE LEVELS DROP. WE CONVERT TO USING FAT FOR FUEL. METABOLIC SYNDROME BEGINS TO REVERSE. FASTING HELPS US ESTABLISH A NEW SET WEIGHT POINT. FASTING IS A BIOLOGICAL NECESSITY!
THERE ARE MANY INACCURATE MYTHS ASSOCIATED WITH FASTING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DISPEL.
1. “DOESN’T FASTING SLOWS METABOLISM”? ANSWER: FOR NEARLY 100 YEARS WE HAVE KNOWN THAT CALORIC RESTRICTION SLOWS METABOLISM AND FASTING INCREASES IT.
2. “DOESN’T FASTING LEAD TO LOSS OF MUSCLE MASS”? ANSWER: INCORRECT
3. “ISN’T FASTING UNSAFE”? ANSWER: IF YOU ARE UNDER 60 AND ARE NOT ON MEDICATION, I FEEL IT IS SAFE. IF YOU HAPPEN NOT O FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY AS MANY OF MY FASTING PATIENTS DO, IT IS LIKELY STILL DOABLE, BUT YOU MUST CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN.
4. “DOC I’M GONNA STARVE”! ANSWER: IF YOU HAVE A BIT OF FAT ON YOU, YOU WILL NOT STARVE. YOU WILL ALTERNATE YOUR FUEL SOURCE TO THE LEFT OVERS OF YOUR PREVIOUS MEALS.
LASTLY “A CALORIE IS A CALORIE”. THIS POINT MERITS SPECIAL ATTENTION BECAUSE MOST OF US HAVE HAD IT WRONG, INCLUDING MYSELF. THE BODY HAS NO MECHANISM TO MEASURE CALORIES. METABOLISM OF FOOD IS REGULATED BY WHAT THAT FOOD DOES TO OUR HORMONES AND BIOLOGIC FUNCTIONS.
THIS TIES INTO MY NEXT TOPIC, RE-FEEDING. EATING IS AN IMPORTANT COUNTERBALANCE TO FASTING. IT ACTIVATES ANABOLIC ACTIVITY AND GROWTH. WE SEE THE BIGGEST STEM CELL ACTIVITY SINCE BIRTH OR SINCE THE LAST TIME WE FASTED! NEW CELLULAR STRUCTURES ARE REBUILT. NOW WE HAVE A HEALTHIER AND MORE EFFICIENT ORGANISM. WHEN WE EAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO STILL KEEP OUR INSULIN LOW BECAUSE REMEMBER, HIGH INSULIN PROMOTES FAT STORAGE.
BELOW YOU CAN SEE THAT DIFFERENT MACRONUTRIENT GROUPS CAUSE DIFFERENT DEGREES OF INSULIN RESPONSE.
INCORPORATE THESE LIFESTYLE HABITS AND YOUR METABOLISM WILL SOAR!