💊Daily Pill: Autophagy
Trimming the herd
The Daily Pill is a series of very short daily posts where I share the definition of a medical term I think we should all know. Read it every morning and build up your medical vocabulary.
🦠Autophagy
Autophagy is a highly regulated cellular process in which the body breaks down and recycles old, damaged, or malfunctioning cells to keep things tidy and running smoothly. Think of it as the body’s way of spring cleaning, getting rid of the junk to make room for new stuff. The break down of old cells releases breakdown products, such as amino acids and fatty acids, which can be recycled for energy production or biosynthesis of other molecules. Autophagy plays crucial roles in cellular quality control, nutrient recycling, and adaptation to stress conditions, thereby contributing to cell survival and overall health.
🤔Why you need to know:
Enhancing your autophagy can have several benefits:
It helps your cells get rid of old or damaged components, which can prevent the buildup of harmful substances and contribute to overall health. This can potentially reduce the risk of various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders and certain types of cancer.
Autophagy plays a role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis- which can be beneficial for weight management and insulin sensitivity.
Autophagy is involved in immune function. Boosting it may enhance your body's ability to fight off infections and other illnesses.
Autophagy can support cellular longevity.
You can improve autophagy by enhancing sleep and fasting. Corresponding rabbit holes here:
🧠Trivia:
The word "autophagy" comes from the Greek words "auto" meaning "self" and "phagein" meaning "to eat." So, quite literally, autophagy translates to "self-eating." It was first observed and described in the 1960s by Belgian scientist Christian de Duve, who later received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries related to the structure and function of organelles.