In 2016, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize of
physiology and medicine for his discoveries of autophagy in yeast. Now
scientists are eager to find the connections of autophagy and human
body, and drugs to boost autophagy.
The word autophagy comes from the Greek. Auto means "self" and "phagy",
means "to eat". It is a natural process by which cells degrade and
recycle their components. It provides fuel for energy and building
blocks for cell renewal. After infection, autophagy can destroy bacteria
and viruses. Cells use autophagy to get rid of damaged proteins and
organelles. About 30 genes have been identified to regulate autophagy
process in human. Mutations in these genes affect health and accelerate
aging. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and
Huntington’s are thought due to the accumulation of abnormal proteins
among brain cells, thus affecting brain function. Joint disease such as
osteoarthritis (OA) is due to decreased autophagy of aging chondrocytes.
In cancer cells, autophagy can promote or inhibit tumor, depending on
the stage and type of the cancer and age of the patients.
Aging slows down autophagy, thus improving the process of autophagy increase
longevity and overall wellbeing. Fasting up to 72 hours has been shown
to maximize the rate of autophagy. Similar benefits were seen on
ketogenic diet, deep sleep such as stage 4 and 5 sleep, high intensity
interval training, resveratrol in red wine, 85% dark chocolate, MCT oil,
berberine and bergamot.
