In nutrition, it is known that some living organisms consume their less useful organs as a means of survival during prolonged fasting. However, beyond this potentially repulsive description, autophagy is also the organism's natural regenerative process that occurs at the cellular level and reduces the likelihood of contracting certain types of diseases and prolongs life expectancy.
It has gained widespread popularity when it has been linked to beauty, weight loss, and longevity. In this process of autophagy, cells degrade and recycle. It's as if the cell were feeding on its own damaged parts to renew itself.
High-intensity exercise, such as HIIT training or Tabata, is the simplest and most effective way to activate autophagy. It can also be induced through intermittent fasting, which forces the body to consume components other than food to fuel cells, such as fat or waste.
Autophagy doesn't start after a certain number of hours of fasting, but rather develops gradually. Therefore, extreme fasting isn't necessary; it would be enough to slightly lengthen the nighttime fasting hours by moving dinner forward and postponing the first meal of the morning—not for nothing is it called "unfasting." You can choose between several days of shorter fasting or a single, longer fast per month. Without resorting to fasting, some diets such as the hybrid or ketogenic diet also seem to promote autophagy.
Benefits
Prevents neurodegenerative diseases
Promotes longevity
Strengthens the immune system
Prevents type 2 diabetes
Contraindications due to poor performance
Muscle wasting
Eating disorders
Metabolic imbalances
Impaired athletic performance
