Fasting—something we've all heard of, perhaps even experimented with. But, have you ever paused to explore the science behind it?
If yes, I bet there is something for you to explore in this blog. And if you haven't, get ready for an enlightening journey about fasting.
We will delve into the synergistic relationship between autophagy, fasting, and ketosis. Together, they form a symphony of health benefits, unlocking a world of well-being for your body.
Without much ado, let's first understand fasting and the science behind it:
What is Fasting and how does it benefit?
Fasting is a conscious practice of refraining from consuming any food or, in some cases, beverages, for a specified and predetermined duration.
This period of abstinence can vary in length. Ranging from a few hours to several days. People do fasting for religious observance, detoxification, weight loss, metabolic health improvement, or as part of a medical treatment plan.
Now, what happens during fasting is - the body typically shifts from utilizing incoming food for energy to relying on stored glycogen and fat reserves. This shift has subsequent physiological and potential health effects.
A fast usually lasts from 12 to 24 hours, but some types continue for days at a time.
The results of fasting depend upon the time period while you are not eating anything.
Let us elaborate to understand the details,
What happens if you fast for 8-12 hours?
If I have to answer you in one line, it would be maintained blood sugar level.
Yes, that is one of the immediate results of fasting.
After about eight hours without food, your blood glucose begins to dip. You may experience hunger, fatigue, food cravings, and trouble concentrating. This is generally referred to as - Stage 1 of Fasting
However, if you can make it over this initial hurdle, these symptoms pass pretty quickly. By 12 hours, your body will begin to tap into your glycogen stores (sugar stores), and your blood glucose levels will stabilize. (Source)
At 12 hours, you’ll also start switching into the early stages of ketosis — your body stops relying on carbohydrates for fuel and begins burning your body fat stores instead.
Short-term fasting may also lower blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, making this type of fasting useful for people with type 2 diabetes or other blood sugar control issues.
Going a level ahead, let us see,
What happens if you fast for 12-18 hours?
A process called - Ketosis will start.
But, you may wonder, what exactly is Ketosis?
Ketosis is defined as a natural metabolic process that involves the production of energy from the breakdown of fat into ketone bodies.
Your liver begins converting your fat stores into ketone bodies — bundles of fuel that power your muscles, heart, and brain.
This is considered the stage 2 (advanced than the previous stage) stage of fasting. It can benefit you in the following ways:
Appetite Suppression
- Ketones suppress appetite, which means your hunger should actually start to subside during this fasting stage. (Source)
- Paradoxically, fasting begins to get easier as you fast for a longer time. After the first stage of fasting, appetite generally declines.
Fat Loss
- Ghrelin levels decrease, curbing the urge to overeat.
- Insulin levels stabilize, preventing food cravings.
- Rapid body fat utilization occurs without food in your system, which results in triggering full-fat burning mode.
Mental Clarity
At this stage of fasting, you may also enjoy a boost in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
- BDNF is a protein that your brain makes to protect existing brain cells. BDNF also encourages the growth of new brain pathways. It also enhances learning and boosts mood. (Source)
- Fasting and ketosis both increase BDNF in animal studies, and researchers theorize that they do the same in humans. (Source)
Now, let's arrive at the last stage of fasting, Stage 3.
What happens if you fast for 24 hours?
Sure! It does sound unbelievable. Like how can you stay without having a bit of food for an entire day?
But, believe me, it is not only believable but also ACHIEVABLE.
And is topped with an amazing set of benefits that it brings.
The first and foremost advantage is, it begins the process of Autophagy.
Let us dive in,
What is Autophagy?
Our cells engage in a natural physiological process where they essentially nourish themselves—a phenomenon referred to as autophagy (pronounced aa-TAA-fuh-jee). The term "autophagy" is derived from the Greek prefixes auto- (meaning self) and -phagy (meaning feed on).
Well, after a full-day fast, your body goes into repair mode. It begins recycling old or damaged cells and reducing inflammation. If you’re looking for anti-aging or anti-inflammatory benefits, a 24-hour fast may help.
When your body is under mild stress (such as exercise or an extended fast), your cells respond by becoming more efficient.
The process of autophagy is divided into five distinct stages:
- Initiation
- Nucleation of the autophagosome,
- Expansion and elongation of the autophagosome membrane,
- Closure and fusion with the lysosome,
- Degradation of intravesicular products.
During autophagy, older, damaged, and dying cells are consumed and recycled for energy and are replaced by newer, healthier cells. This helps with your skin health, both tightening loose skin and preventing wrinkles.
Studies show that fasting-induced autophagy comes with a variety of benefits.
- Fasting triggers autophagy in the brain, clearing out misfolded proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. (Source)
- Autophagy declines naturally as you age, which is connected to a variety of diseases. Fasting may be able to combat the age-related decline, keeping you biologically younger and protecting your cells from oxidative stress. (Source)
- Early research suggests that fasting-related autophagy may help kill cancer cells.
- Fasting reduces bodywide inflammation via autophagy.
Fasting is fairly simple. You just have to follow three rules:
- Choose a fasting window. As you read, the stages of intermittent fasting each come with different benefits. Pick a window of time fast and stick to it. for example, if you’re doing an 18-hour fast, maybe you stop eating at 8 PM today and don’t break your fast until 2 PM tomorrow.
- No calories. A true fast (also called a water fast) includes zero calories during the fasting period. Water, coffee, tea, and other zero-calorie beverages are fine during water fasting, but anything with calories will break your fast. ("For me, I only consume water during fasting.")
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water during your fast. make sure you also get your electrolytes by adding sea salt to the water and/or taking an electrolyte supplement.
Studies involving animals suggest that autophagy may begin between 24 to 48 hours of fasting. (I have been doing fasting from last 2 years and for me autophagy initiates within 16 hours and what triggers it so fast is weight training exercise in between the fasting.)
The exercise-induced regulation of autophagy includes both increased autophagy flux as well as transcriptional activation of important autophagy genes potentially resulting in enhanced autophagy capacity.
Autophagy occurs naturally and without us knowing. There are no symptoms, so you won't be able to tell that you're in autophagy. The most natural way to know autophagy is bad breadth.
Drinking enough water: Proper hydration is essential for cellular processes, including autophagy. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to support healthy cell functioning.
Eating. And it doesn't take much. Glucose, insulin (or decreased glucagon) and proteins all turn off this self-cleaning process. (Only prefer water)
Autophagy fasting can be something you invest in through small consistent fasts lasting 17 or more hours, or you can opt to do longer fasts less frequently, perhaps a few times each year you do a 48-72 hour fast to maximize your fasting autophagy.
To induce autophagy is through regular use of MCT oil. This is nature's richest source of healthy medium-chain fatty acids which coverts rapidly into ketone bodies as a great, clean fuel for your brain and body
Many studies have shown that during fasting, muscle loss doesn't occur. Autophagy flux is important to preserve muscle mass and to maintain myofiber integrity. To be safe, ensure a protein-rich meal before bed with carbohydrates, fat, and fiber to slow digestion, if you're looking to fast the next day for 24 hours and you're not training. This will ensure no muscle loss occurs. Autophagy can help maintain muscle mass and decrease inflammation and aging
As we age the rate at whichour skin cells regenerate slows down dramatically. On average, when we are younger, the skin has a 28-day lifecycle. As we get older it can increase to 50-days! Autophagy speeds the process of cell renewal and increases the rate collagen is produced.
As a cytoprotective survival pathway, autophagy prevents chronic tissue damage and cell death that can lead to cancer initiation and progression. Autophagy acts as a primary response promoting cell viability and serving a cytoprotective role and upon stress removal the cell resumes normal function. However, extreme stress pushes the cell to cross the point of no return and commits it toward autophagic cell death (type II programmed cell death, PCD). As such, stimulation or restoration of autophagy may prevent cancer.
Unlock Your Body's Healing Power
Delve into the transformative world of autophagy and fasting as you discover the key to rejuvenating your body and promoting optimal health. Explore the science behind this and learn how incorporating them into your lifestyle can unlock a wealth of benefits for you. Join us on a journey towards a healthier future through the incredible synergy of autophagy and fasting.
