From the Guidelines
Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Autophagy
Intermittent fasting has been shown to induce autophagy, a natural process in which cells recycle and remove damaged or dysfunctional components, with studies demonstrating increased autophagic flux after 12-24 hours of fasting 1.
- Specifically, alternate-day fasting and 16:8 time-restricted feeding regimens have been found to upregulate autophagy-related genes and proteins, including LC3 and Beclin-1, in various cell types 1.
- In clinical settings, intermittent fasting protocols, such as 5:2 diet or 12-hour overnight fasting, have been observed to enhance autophagy in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, with potential therapeutic implications for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's 1.
- The mechanisms by which intermittent fasting induces autophagy are complex and involve the inhibition of mTOR and the activation of AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway 1.
- Overall, the evidence suggests that intermittent fasting is a promising therapeutic approach for inducing autophagy and promoting cellular health, with potential applications in the prevention and treatment of various diseases 1.
From the Research
Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Autophagy
- Intermittent fasting (IF) has been shown to induce autophagy, a lysosomal degradation process that eliminates damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and invading pathogens 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, recycling building blocks and energy, and allowing cells to adapt to stress 2.
- IF activates hepatic autophagy, which is important for maintaining cellular homeostasis, energy balance, quality control, cell and tissue remodeling, and defense against extracellular damage and pathogens 3.
- The mechanisms by which IF induces autophagy involve multiple interacting pathways and molecular mechanisms, including adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), silent mating-type information regulatory 2 homolog-1 (SIRT1), peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) 3, 5.
Tissue-Specific Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Autophagy
- IF has been shown to induce autophagy in a wide variety of tissues and organs, including the liver 3, 5.
- In the liver, IF activates autophagy, which plays a role in preventing the development of steatosis-associated liver tumors and treating a variety of liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, drug-induced liver injury, viral hepatitis, hepatic fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma 3.
- In pancreatic beta cells, IF preserves beta-cell mass in obesity-induced diabetes via the autophagy-lysosome pathway 5.