Autophagy may not have been a word used in your vocabulary before, but now that you are considering fasting for your health and looking more into the Fasting Mimicking Diet you have probably seen this word used a few times as a way for our bodies to promote longevity.

Autophagy is our body's natural way of rejuvenating. For as long as we have existed on earth, our bodies have used autophagy to survive. Autophagy is the system of breaking down old damaged cells and the renewing of these cells into healthier versions of themselves. One of the best ways to achieve autophagy is through fasting. Allow me to explain!

Your body is made up of tiny building blocks called cells. Sometimes, these cells get old or damaged. Autophagy is like a cleanup crew that goes into your cells and removes the stuff that's not working well anymore. Specifically, when you fast, your body realizes that it needs to make the most of what it has because there's no new food coming in. So, the cells start collecting and getting rid of old and broken cell parts, kind of like taking out the trash. Instead of throwing the "trash" away, your body is really smart. It breaks down the old cell parts into smaller pieces, which can then be used to build new, healthy parts for your cells when food becomes available again. It's like recycling to save resources. So, autophagy is your body's way of making sure everything stays in good working order, especially when you're not eating. So, when you hear about fasting and autophagy, it's basically your body's way of doing some spring cleaning to keep you in good shape!

Research has shown that “periodic fasting” (defined as fasting longer than 2 consecutive days, or prolonged fasting) has protective effects by reducing oxidative damage, inflammation, and supporting cellular protection. The key here though is that our body’s do not trigger autophagy in the commonly practiced intermittent fasting of 12 to 16 hours or even during a twenty four hour fast. However, doing several days of water-fasting to trigger autophagy is too challenging for most people. The FMD nutrition as a core technology for the L-Nutra Health for Diabetes Program allows the body to simulate a 5 day fast while providing enough key nutrients so the long fasting period can be tolerated by most people. That is 21st century innovation for an ageless practice of fasting!

Some of the possible Autophagy Benefits:

1. 1.Damaged cells that can cause disease are destroyed

2. 2.Less oxidative stress occurs

3. 3.Removal of toxins

4. 4.Decreased inflammation

5. 5.Improved hormonal balance

6. 6.Improved skin health by increasing collagen production

7. 7.Supports improved nerve communication and function

8. 8.Conversion of food and nutrients into energy