While there is probably nothing wrong with drinking fruit and vegetable juices, this won’t flush out toxins as quickly as you would with real food. There is a little known way for your body to detoxify itself, autophagy, a process that can be optimized to make your body healthier.
What is autophagy?
Autophagy is the regulated process by which a cell breaks down its dysfunctional or “rare” components . The cell can recycle useful chemical components for other purposes and this allows autophagy to regulate the balance of protein composition in a cell , prevent the accumulation of toxic waste products, maintain the function of cell organelles, eliminate invading pathogens and help to keep cells functioning during periods of starvation.
The scientific importance and interest in autophagy emerged when the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi, thanks to his discoveries in the mechanisms of autophagy.
Essentially, autophagy is the creation of a “garbage bag” (autophagosome) that collects parts of cells and then takes them to the cell’s “recycling center” (lysosome) to break them down so that they can then be recycled into new components. .
Benefits of autophagy
When the body works without pressure, autophagy appears at a low level, which helps to recycle worn-out cellular components. Let’s say it’s like a “maintenance” mode. But when cells malfunction (there are not enough nutrients or energy, or there are dysfunctional components and microbes), autophagy kicks in to help protect us . It is a mode of response to stress that our body experiences.
Lengthens life
Activation of autophagy counteracts the accumulation of damaged cellular components associated with age and increases the metabolic efficiency of cells. It is a response to stress that helps cells to be more resistant and better conserve their energy.
Protects from psychiatric disorders
The typical functioning of autophagy provides protection against the development of psychiatric disorders. Disruptions of autophagic processes have been associated with an increased risk of some psychiatric conditions. In post-mortem studies of the brains of individuals with depression and schizophrenia, deficiencies in the basic pathways of autophagy were identified.
Prevents neurodegenerative disorders
Many neurodegenerative disorders result from the accumulation of deformed proteins in and around neurons, which induces the gradual death of brain cells and the subsequent loss of mental faculties. Autophagy protects us by eliminating these proteins.
Helps fight infectious diseases
This process helps fight infectious diseases in three ways:
- Direct elimination of microbes from inside cells (xenophagy).
- Elimination of toxins created by infections .
- Modulation of the immune response to infections by killing microbes such as tuberculosis and group A streptococcus, as well as viruses such as HIV and protozoa.
Allows to regulate inflammation
Autophagy can increase and decrease inflammatory responses within the body. When inflammation increases due to the invasion of pathogens, the immune response is activated. In this case, autophagy decreases the inflammation caused by the immune response by eliminating the cells of the antigens that stimulate the response. Furthermore, autophagy also removes the proimmune response molecules produced by the cell in response to an invasion.
Improves muscle performance
When we exercise, cells are stressed, so that their energy and components wear out faster. In this case, the autophagy process is increased to maintain energy use within the cell and reduce the amount of external energy it requires (by recycling existing energy molecules more efficiently), ensuring that cellular components are removed. degraded before they start to cause problems
