autophagy

A little-known scientific process is being hailed as the new way to lose weight, look younger and prolong life. In 2016, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for his discoveries into the mechanisms of autophagy. These have led to a better understanding of diseases such as Parkinson's and dementia. Since then, drug companies and academics have raced to find drugs that will stimulate the process, and diet and wellness experts are jumping on the bandwagon claiming that the process can be induced naturally by fasting, high-intensity exercise and restricting carbohydrates. "There are studies where they have switched on the process using genetic tools or drugs or fasting, and in those cases the animals tend to live longer and be in better overall shape." However, he said it was not yet clear how that translated to humans. "For example, in mice, you see the effects of fasting on the brain in 24 hours, and in some areas of their body, like the liver, much more quickly. Yet even though we know fasting is beneficial, we don't know yet exactly how long humans would need to fast to see the benefits," said Dr Rubinsztein. That said, fasting does stimulate autophagy, he said, and its benefits had also been proven by other studies. Cells use autophagy to get rid of damaged proteins and organelles, to counteract the negative effects of ageing on the body. "What we've discovered is that it protects against diseases like Parkinson's, Huntington's and certain forms of dementia," said Dr Rubinsztein. New lifestyle books are saying the process can be "switched on" by changes to our diet and lifestyle, such as fasting - already popular with many of those who follow the 5:2, external or Fast Diet. One new book, Glow 15 by Naomi Whittel - a self-styled "wellness explorer" - sets out a 15-day programme that includes 16-hour fasts three times a week, reducing protein on some days, eating carbohydrates later in the day and periods of high-intensity exercise. Dr Rubinsztein is optimistic about the future benefits of autophagy for treating disease. His laboratory discovered that proteins form in clumps in the nerve cells of people with diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. "We discovered that if you switch on autophagy you remove these proteins rapidly and protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's and forms of dementia." He hopes that one day there might be drugs available to boost autophagy. Others clearly hope so too. It was recently reported, external that a new start-up in America, Casma Therapeutics, received $58.5m to look into new drugs to boost autophagy.