Metabolic Health
Here’s How How I Killed My Zombie Cells Metaphorically.
Practical ways to activate autophagy for cell renewal. lose fat, eliminate loose skin, and address health conditions with lifestyle choices
Dear Reader,
This is a short-form story to highlight the importance of autophagy for cellular health. I linked the longer stories at the end.
Purpose of the Article
The title might sound clickbait, but it reflects how I feel about my damaged cells. This is not a fiction piece and not a scientific paper.
It is just a piece to introduce the autophagy concept in simple words to my new readers. I linked several articles going into the topic deeper.
I briefly introduce the science behind autopathy and give you a couple of examples for its practical use based on my experience.
These practices, taken over several years, helped me improve my health conditions noticeably. Therefore, I feel compelled to share these important points with my readers.
Self-Eating
Self-eating, in other words eating ourselves, may sound cannibalistic, scary, and paradoxical, but it is a natural phenomenon. The process helped me get rid of excessive skin caused by dramatic and rapid weight loss.
We can translate the scientific term autophagy as “self-eating”. This natural phenomenon is a method our bodies use to clean damaged cells and generate newer and healthier cells.
Scientists have been conducting studies on autophagy since the 1990s. However, the most significant breakthrough was made by the research of Yoshinori Ohsumi, who was awarded in Nobel Prize in Physiology in 2016. Yoshninori’s discovery was the explanation of the morphological and molecular mechanisms of autophagy.
Autophagy is an evolutionary and catabolic process.
In simple terms, our cells degrade and recycle intra-cellular damaged organelles, mis-folded and mutant proteins, and even viruses and bacteria to maintain cellular health.
This intelligent biological process helps us get rid of our zombie cells. Similar to Schrodinger’s cat, zombie cells are neither dead nor alive; hence their instability may pose critical health risks to maintaining our body’s homeostasis.
One of the most efficient and natural ways to initiate autophagy is fasting.
Many scientific studies demonstrated that caloric restriction and fasting regimes initiate autophagy. One of the notable studies was by Longo & Mattson, Fasting: molecular mechanisms and clinical applications, published in the CellMetab 2014. Another study examined the physiological role of autophagy as an intracellular recycling system with an emphasis on nutrient metabolism by Kuma & Mizushima in 2010.
The field has a high focus on research and is evolving. Autophagy studies are intense in science and medicine, even conducted for cancer research.
Scientific experiments on fasting were conducted both in animal and human studies. For example, in a 2015 study, fasting protects mice from lethal DNA damage by promoting small intestinal epithelial stem cell survival. In another study in 2017, fasting inhibits colorectal cancer growth by reducing M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages. There are many more studies beyond the scope of this article.
My aim here is to introduce two practical methods to initiate autophagy.
Intermittent Fasting
Fasting, in the form of one meal a day, provided me with many benefits. I shared my fasting regimen in various articles.
Exercise
In addition to fasting and caloric restriction, another autophagy-inducing mechanism is exercise.
There is a growing body of knowledge on exercise-inducing autophagy. For example, a 2012 study in the Autophagy journal asserts that exercise induces autophagy in peripheral tissues and in the brain.
My exercise regime is a mix of aerobic and anaerobic.
I love jumping on trampolines.
I used to run long distances. It was problematic.
In addition to moderate weight lifting, I also enjoy calisthenics.
My important lesson learned for exercise is to make it joyful, consistent, and sustainable by building healthy habits. Exercise naturally creates stress. Acute stress, in the form of deliberate exercise, can be useful to initiate autophagy.
Stress and Recovery
I learned to refrain from chronic stress, which created adverse effects on my health. One of the most important lessons was fully recovering before starting another intense exercise session.
Another critical lesson was not to overdo cardio, instead, stick to either a moderate amount of cardio or supplement my anaerobic exercise with high-intensity interval training, particularly on a safe trampoline.
By applying intermittent fasting and joyful exercises, I managed to induce autophagy regularly. The process was reflected in several of my blood markers.
However, the most compelling and empirical evidence was getting rid of my excess skin after losing a substantial amount of weight.
To get rid of my excess skin, I tried many methods over a decade. Nothing worked!
I finally and gratefully got rid of my disturbing excess skin in my abdominal area by learning the mechanism of autophagy through one meal a day supplemented with joyful exercises.
I documented my experience in the attached article.
It was so inspiring for me to notice the muscle definition in my abdominal area only after the age of 50, for the first time in my life. I owe this achievement to a by-product of my diet and exercise, which induced regular autophagy.
Some of my health advisors theorized it was most likely the autophagy process that ate the excess skin over a period of time.
I am grateful for the natural self-eating process built in our bodies to get rid of our zombie cells, viruses, bad proteins, bacteria, and more. Ongoing studies are promising to unearth this pleasant mystery and the paradox of eating useless parts of our own bodies.
Three Tips to Initiate Autophagy
Here is an article giving more details on the three steps.
Here’s How I Initiate Mitophagy and Make My Mitochondria Denser in 7 Steps
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a happy and healthy life.
Sample Health and Well-Being Articles for New Readers
Defeat Metabolic Syndrome and Slim Down Waistline with Three Tips
Why 442 Million People Live Diabetic and What We Can Do About it
Six Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Lower the Risks of Mental Disorders
What Can We Do About NCDs Killing 41 Million People Yearly?.
Reduce the Risks of Neonatal Disorders to Prevent Infant Mortality.
Reduce the Risks of Major Diseases with Healthy Lifestyle Habits
I also wrote about important nutrients such as:
Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and other nutrients that might help to improve metabolism and mental health.
Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include health or professional advice. I documented my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.
I share my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. I wrote several articles on major diseases and valuable nutrients for health. My focus is metabolic and mental health.
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