Six Benefits of Intermittent Fasting and Autophagy

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to a cell biologist, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, in 2016 for discovering the mechanism of autophagy. Autophagy literally means “self-eating.” It’s a God-given process during which cells destroy viruses and bacteria and recycle, regenerate, and repair damaged cells. Dr. Ohsumi began researching this process back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Due to his compelling research there are now more than 5000 studies on autophagy. It’s become the new buzz word in medicine and research.

When the body is in a fasted state, it frees up about 65 – 75 percent of the normal energy you expend eating and digesting food. This allows the body to use this same energy to engage in autophagy to help heal and repair cells.

Let’s be honest, as Americans we tend to eat from the moment we wake up to right before we go to bed. Think again. This only allows six to eight hours of autophagy while we sleep. If we can extend this time period occasionally, we can prevent many diseases. Intermittent fasting enables us to do this. Don’t kid yourself, this is nothing new. Fasting has been around since the beginning of time and is practiced by many religions.

In the Bible, Jesus himself fasted and prayed. Many men in the Bible fasted and prayed before important decisions including wars. I wonder if these men of God knew the added health benefits they received from the spiritual practice of fasting that was designed to focus their attention on God and His will.

As the research continues to grow, here are six benefits of intermittent fasting and autophagy:

1. Reduces inflammation. We’ve already learned that inflammation is the root cause behind most diseases we face today. Therefore, reducing inflammation should be a primary goal for anyone desiring to beat any disease.

2. Builds the immune system. Since winning the Nobel Prize, Ohsumi and others have shown that autophagy plays a crucial role in embryo development, cell differentiation, and the immune system. A breakdown in autophagy can lead to a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and Huntington disease. A healthy autophagy system is correlated with longevity, and a faulty one can accelerate symptoms of aging. When damaged cells are turned into newer, younger cells by the process of autophagy, this gives a boost to the immune system.

3. Reduces effects of aging. Reduced autophagy has been associated with accelerated aging, whereas stimulation of autophagy might have potent anti-aging effects. Yes, it can actually turn back your biological clock and you can click to view my YouTube video on How to Turn Back Your Biological Clock.

4. Improves cognitive function. Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist who lost his father to Alzheimer’s Disease, promotes intermittent fasting to improve brain function. And the research backs him up.

5. May improve prognosis for Multiple Sclerosis. In one study, the researchers found that the mice placed on an intermittent fasting diet were more resilient to neurological damage and were less likely to develop symptoms such as muscle weakness, paralysis, and difficulty in moving.

6. May improve blood sugar for type 2 diabetes patients. Autophagy has been known to regulate the function of pancreatic beta cells and insulin-target tissues (skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue). Many studies suggest that enhanced autophagy acts as a protective mechanism against oxidative stress in pancreatic beta cells. (check with your doctor. This is not for type 1 diabetes patients.)

The most interesting benefit of fasting I’ve recently discovered is the benefit for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. I only wish I had known this sooner. When a cancer patient receives chemotherapy in a fasted state, the chemotherapy is absorbed more by the cancer cells than the healthy cells. And isn’t this precisely what we want to have happen! Where did I get this? Several doctors are advocating taking chemotherapy in this way—Dr. David Jockers, Dr. James Forsyth (oncologist), and Dr. Robert Elliott, the oncologist and medical researcher who wrote the commentary in my book. Another benefit is simply weight loss. I’ve had several friends who lost weight by practicing intermittent fasting.

And what might this do to help us prevent cancer and recurrence? There are cancer cells in our bodies all the time. Our bodies have immune systems that when working properly can take care of these cells. If we purposely extend these hours of fasting, we up our chances that our own body can take care of potential cancer cells. I’m not recommending going on a 10-, 20-, or 30-day water fast. I’m advocating extending the time your body stays in autophagy by stopping your eating at 6 pm after dinner and not eating again until 10 or 12 the next morning.

Here is a quote from Dr. Ohsumi, the Nobel Prize winner himself:

As research into autophagy has expanded, it has become clear that it is not simply a response to starvation. It also contributes to a range of physiological functions, such as inhibiting cancer cells and aging, eliminating pathogens and cleaning the insides of cells…I hope to go on to study autophagy at the molecular level, to tackle the mechanism head-on. That is my mission.

I look forward to reading more and more research on autophagy and how fasting activates this important process.

How many of you have heard of autophagy?

It’s not that dr. Ohsumi invented autophagy—he just discovered and explained the process God had already put in place. It’s just one of the ways our god-given healing works in our bodies, but it doesn’t work as He intended when we are constantly eating and missing out on much needed sleep.

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Six Benefits of Intermittent Fasting and Autophagy

For Your Health,

Ginny