Autophagy as a way to rejuvenate the body
For the first time the concept of autophagy appeared in scientific research in the middle of the 20th century. Then scientists discovered that each cell is capable of self-cleaning and self-destruction, and these processes lead to the healing and rejuvenation of the body as a whole. A completely method of cleansing the body according to the principle of autophagy was described by the Japanese scientist biologist Yoshinori Osumi in 2016. It should be noted that Yoshinori received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his scientific work.
In essence, autophagy is the body's continuous self-cleaning mechanism. The word itself is translated from Greek as self-knowledge (auto - "itself", phagos - "is"). Autophagy processes occur in the body continuously, but with different intensity, every minute cells die, and new ones appear in their place. The meaning of the cleansing method is to make this process more active and make the body get rid of old, unnecessary, obsolete cells.
How it works
Autophagy is inherent only in mammals and in animals, these processes work as they should on instincts laid down by nature, but a person needs to make efforts to start an intensive self-purification mechanism.
The first and simplest way to trigger autophagy is by fasting. It is clear that fasting for a long time without preliminary preparation is not recommended for anyone. The technique suggests fasting 1-2 times a week. The body does not receive useful substances from the outside and begins to actively expend internal resources, the damaged and old parts of the cell are the first to go.
If your body is not ready for such drastic measures, fasting can be replaced by a raw food diet. During the day (no more than 1-2 times a week), you can only eat raw vegetables and drink water. Eliminate tea and coffee.
The third way to start the autophagy processes is considered to be a diet in which a person consumes 30-40% fewer calories from the daily norm. The diet consists mainly of vegetables, dairy products, vegetable fats, fish and cereals. Of course, such a diet should not be prescribed for yourself.
Nutrition for autophagy
Scientific research shows that intermittent fasting triggers fast and efficient autophagy. It's all about the hormone glucagon - it's the opposite hormone to insulin. When a person eats food, the amount of insulin in the body rises and the autophagy process is suppressed. When a person is starving, the hormone glucagon is produced, which is necessary to start cleansing processes.
It is important not to overdo it on the issue of fasting, the body with prolonged and too frequent fasting can switch to healthy cells, which will lead to serious consequences.
The most common fasting pattern will be 1 in 2 or 1 in 3, where the first day is a complete fast on water, and the next two or three are normal. You should not eat too much the next day after fasting; you should leave the fast gradually, so as not to shock the body. On the day of fasting, it is important to drink plenty of water, hunger will come in waves and after a glass of water recede for several hours. In order not to get hung up on it, it is better to do your usual things, try not to think about food. For any ailments such as dizziness, headache, stomach pain, you should stop fasting. Many people, after the first week in this regime, notice an increase in vitality, an improvement in mood, and a normalization of blood pressure.
Medicine about autophagy
Doctors do not reject the fact that intermittent fasting helps to cleanse and rejuvenate the body, methods of therapeutic fasting have been actively used in medical institutions since the middle of the last century. Nevertheless, only a specialist can determine whether the body is ready for cleansing by the method of autophagy. It is recommended to pass all tests to identify contraindications.
Contraindications to intermittent fasting can be gastrointestinal diseases, ulcers, gastritis, a tendency to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes in any form, oncology, dystrophy, breastfeeding and pregnancy.
Thus, you need to understand that any drastic changes in the diet, and even more so hunger strikes, even if not long-term, should be supervised by a doctor in order to avoid negative consequences for your health.
Author: Elena Sh. (Specially for Calorizator.ru)
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