Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Many people promote intermittent fasting as a healthy diet. Besides keeping us in shape, intermittent fasting also does something else: it promotes self-eating in cells (autophagy). Autophagy might be crucial to delay age-related diseases and live longer. But how does autophagy work? And can we use autophagy to reverse aging?
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📸 IG: instagram.com/clemens.steinek
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In the 80s, a scientist named Yoshinori Ohsumi started to study autophagy. Autophagy is a process where the cell degrades often old damaged parts to get nutrients. After Ohsumis discovery, scientists found autophagy in many other organisms including humans. Autophagy is especially important in cells which have to survive for long periods of time. As we get older though, autophagy becomes less active. This, and other factors, lead to the accumulations of unwanted proteins in the cell. Over time, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers or Parkinsons might break out.
Scientists soon realized that autophagy could be used to live healthier and even longer. Rapamycin is a drug that has been shown to induce autophagy in animals. At the same time, rapamycin prolonges the lives of mammals. Although rapamycin has not been used to treat neurodegenerative diseases, there are first short-term studies which show the rejuvenating effects of rapamycin in humans. Other drugs have been shown to induce autophagy as well and reverse age-related signs in animals.
We can try to promote autophagy in our bodies through intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting means that we (for example) fast 16 hours a day. In this manner, intermittent fasting slightly stresses the cell and leads to a greater degree of autophagy. Intermittent fasting has been associated with multiple health benefits, especially when it comes to lowering the risk of age-related diseases. Alternative, regular aerobic exercise is also associated with lower risks to develop age-related diseases. Let's see what happens when clinical studies aiming to slow down and reverse aging are completed!
00:00-1:01 Intro
1:01-3:27 Discovery of Autophagy
3:27-6:54 How Self-Eating Cells Fight Disease
6:54-9:36 How Scientists Activate Autophagy
9:36-12:02 How We Can Activate Autophagy
References:
nature.com/articles/45257
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867413006454
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28757291
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7536828
nature.com/articles/nature.2016.20721
nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2016/ohsumi/biographical
thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00249-8/fulltext
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124713005020
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627933
ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312208
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8822217
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31761958
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6128428
liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/rej.2012.1349
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5913738
Images:
Some pictures were derived from Servier Medical Art by Servier. You can find over 3000 free medical images here: smart.servier.com
Videos were derived from videvo.net and videezy.com
Flag by videezy.com
Cell by Tomáš Kebert & umimeto.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
Group Of Viruses, Atomic Particles, Data grid, Loopable MACD, Film Leader, Rotating brain by A Luna Blue, videvo.net, CC BY-SA 4.0
Projector Close Up, Infected Cells by Beachfront, CC-BY 3.0
Abstract Curve Line S, low Motion Running, Animated Candlesticks, videvo.net
Alzheimers plaques by Nephron, BY-SA 3.0
Press Release: © The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, nobelprize.org
Yeast by DBCLS 統合TV, BY-SA 4.0
Lewy Bodies by Suraj Rajan, (CC-BY 3.0
Music:
Art of Silence by Uniq soundcloud.com/uniqofficial
Laconic Granny by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
Title: Punch Deck by promoted by BreakingCopyright: bit.ly/bkc-ethereal2 (CC BY 3.0)
Title: Filaments by Scott Buckley (CC BY 3.0)
Title: Rudolph by Lukrembro soundcloud.com/lukrembo
Title: Bread (Prod. by Lukrembo) jazz type beat “marshmallow” soundcloud.com/lukrembo
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a PhD student/youtuber (Sciencerely) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
Many people promote intermittent fasting as a healthy diet. Besides keeping us in shape, intermittent fasting also does something else: it promotes self-eating in cells (autophagy). Autophagy might be crucial to delay age-related diseases and live longer. But how does autophagy work? And can we use autophagy to reverse aging?
🔬 Subscribe for more awesome biomedical research: bit.ly/2SRMqhC
📸 IG: instagram.com/clemens.steinek
🔬Twitter: twitter.com/CSteinek
In the 80s, a scientist named Yoshinori Ohsumi started to study autophagy. Autophagy is a process where the cell degrades often old damaged parts to get nutrients. After Ohsumis discovery, scientists found autophagy in many other organisms including humans. Autophagy is especially important in cells which have to survive for long periods of time. As we get older though, autophagy becomes less active. This, and other factors, lead to the accumulations of unwanted proteins in the cell. Over time, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers or Parkinsons might break out.
Scientists soon realized that autophagy could be used to live healthier and even longer. Rapamycin is a drug that has been shown to induce autophagy in animals. At the same time, rapamycin prolonges the lives of mammals. Although rapamycin has not been used to treat neurodegenerative diseases, there are first short-term studies which show the rejuvenating effects of rapamycin in humans. Other drugs have been shown to induce autophagy as well and reverse age-related signs in animals.
We can try to promote autophagy in our bodies through intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting means that we (for example) fast 16 hours a day. In this manner, intermittent fasting slightly stresses the cell and leads to a greater degree of autophagy. Intermittent fasting has been associated with multiple health benefits, especially when it comes to lowering the risk of age-related diseases. Alternative, regular aerobic exercise is also associated with lower risks to develop age-related diseases. Let's see what happens when clinical studies aiming to slow down and reverse aging are completed!
00:00-1:01 Intro
1:01-3:27 Discovery of Autophagy
3:27-6:54 How Self-Eating Cells Fight Disease
6:54-9:36 How Scientists Activate Autophagy
9:36-12:02 How We Can Activate Autophagy
References:
nature.com/articles/45257
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867413006454
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28757291
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7536828
nature.com/articles/nature.2016.20721
nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2016/ohsumi/biographical
thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(21)00249-8/fulltext
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124713005020
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627933
ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312208
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8822217
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31761958
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6128428
liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/rej.2012.1349
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5913738
Images:
Some pictures were derived from Servier Medical Art by Servier. You can find over 3000 free medical images here: smart.servier.com
Videos were derived from videvo.net and videezy.com
Flag by videezy.com
Cell by Tomáš Kebert & umimeto.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
Group Of Viruses, Atomic Particles, Data grid, Loopable MACD, Film Leader, Rotating brain by A Luna Blue, videvo.net, CC BY-SA 4.0
Projector Close Up, Infected Cells by Beachfront, CC-BY 3.0
Abstract Curve Line S, low Motion Running, Animated Candlesticks, videvo.net
Alzheimers plaques by Nephron, BY-SA 3.0
Press Release: © The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, nobelprize.org
Yeast by DBCLS 統合TV, BY-SA 4.0
Lewy Bodies by Suraj Rajan, (CC-BY 3.0
Music:
Art of Silence by Uniq soundcloud.com/uniqofficial
Laconic Granny by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
Title: Punch Deck by promoted by BreakingCopyright: bit.ly/bkc-ethereal2 (CC BY 3.0)
Title: Filaments by Scott Buckley (CC BY 3.0)
Title: Rudolph by Lukrembro soundcloud.com/lukrembo
Title: Bread (Prod. by Lukrembo) jazz type beat “marshmallow” soundcloud.com/lukrembo
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a PhD student/youtuber (Sciencerely) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
