All about 'autophagy,' the health switch that brings miracles!
A fascinating journey that delves into the scientific principles of aging and longevity.

Is there a secret to disease-free longevity? "Autophagy" answers this question by examining the common denominators of those who have survived to 110 years or older.
According to author James Clement, the secret is as easy as flipping a switch.
This 'health switch', known as 'autophagy', puts our bodies into 'cleaning mode'.
Autophagy is activated when we don't eat, allowing our bodies to recycle damaged proteins and metabolic waste, start burning fat, and protect cells from stress.
This complex mechanism not only slows the aging process but also prevents age-related diseases, from diabetes to dementia and cancer.
The author derives from 80,000 papers on the biology of aging what was already known in many religious traditions: 'Why do animals starve when they are sick?' and 'Planned fasting may be the best preventative measure against cancer and metabolic diseases.'
The groundbreaking anti-aging research of the 21st century is compiled in this book, Autophagy.

“There is a doctor in every man.
“We only have to help the doctor.” - Hippocrates

Think of a switch as a dimmer for a light.
Turning it one way brightens the light, and turning it the other way dims the light.
We evolved to constantly toggle this biological switch between growth (eMT) and repair (autophagy, sometimes long-term repair), but our modern lifestyle forces it to constantly shift toward growth and little or no rotation toward repair.
So when we reach puberty, these cellular garbage trucks come to a halt, weakening our body's ability to clear out biological debris: malformed proteins, pathogens, and dysfunctional organelles.

The word 'autophagy', which comes from the Greek word meaning 'eating oneself', refers to the body's powerful self-purification switch located within cells.
Although the existence of this vital internal digestion system has been established for decades, it is only in the past few years that we have discovered how and why it functions.
In 2016, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi, a cell biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work elucidating the bodily mechanisms of autophagy.
His research, which unraveled the mechanism of autophagy and led to a new paradigm in medicine, is called the 'discovery of the 21st century.'


Beginning in December 2009, I began reading five to ten scientific papers per day on the biology of aging.
As of June 2019, the number of papers read exceeded 80,000.
In 2013, I decided to delve deeper into dietary restriction (calorie and protein), fasting (intermittent and long-term), and the ketogenic (very low-carb) diet, which I had started experimenting with myself around that time.
I wanted to know the answer to the following question:

Why do these diets have such beneficial effects? And are the mechanisms by which these three methods improve health and longevity similar or different?
I try to answer these questions in this book.
Thanks to the 500 papers exploring this question, I realized that an intracellular complex called mThor and the process it initiates whenever it is turned off (autophagy) may be the secret to longevity.
What I've found is that the main reason why calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, and very low-carb diets can be so beneficial for extending lifespan is because they flip this metabolic switch.
--- From "Introduction: Switch"

The discovery of rapamycin, which led to the discovery of mTOR, allowed scientists to design biological pathways that lead to the activation or, conversely, inhibition of mTOR and its effects.
One such observation was that autophagy was suppressed when mTOR was activated, and enhanced when mTOR was silenced.
uh
In a sense, this regulates whether the cell is in the anabolic (growth) phase or the catabolic (house-cleaning) phase.
This helps us to view mTOR function as a central hub of the cell signaling system, i.e. the cell's command and control center.
There is a reason why Emthor has been preserved through two billion years of evolution.
Emthor, the master regulator of cell growth and metabolism, is one of the secrets that reveals how cellular metabolism (life) is regulated within the cell.
And this is the essence of the switch.
--- From "Chapter 1: Easter Island and Transplant Patients"

Imagine a Pac-Man-like structure that devours intracellular debris that can pollute cells, contribute to inflammatory processes, and cause various diseases.
Inflammation is the common denominator of all chronic diseases, from diabetes and heart disease to autoimmune diseases, dementia, and cancer.
Inflammation is the body's survival tool in response to injury or to fight off infection, even if the symptoms are mild and sporadic.
But many people suffer from chronic inflammation that their bodies don't like.
Anything that fuels chronic inflammation can lead to diseases rooted in inflammation.
This is precisely why it is important to clear out intracellular debris before inflammatory pathways can be activated.
Autophagosomes resemble garbage bags or garbage trucks and combine with other small, spherical sacs called lysosomes, which contain enzymes that break down (or digest) many different types of biomolecules.
Lysosomes are like tiny recycling factories in our bodies, responsible for processing the waste brought in by garbage trucks and reusing their components.
After lysosomal function, remaining substances are released into the cytoplasm and can be reused by the cell.
--- From "Chapter 2: Garbage Trucks and Recycling Plants"

What's the connection between calorie restriction and autophagy? Applying mild stress to the body in the form of calorie restriction turns up the autophagy dial.
As a result, protein circulation and cell recovery are increased.
In other words, the body is forced to repair and remodel! Just as you remodel a kitchen, discarding old appliances and replacing them with new ones, the same process occurs in the body.
Some proteins and tissues can be destroyed so that new proteins can take their place.
This is the principle of autophagy.
One of the most compelling theories of aging posits that aging is caused by a deficiency in protein circulation.
If your body can't break down and discard old proteins as it makes new ones, damaged proteins will build up and cause massive problems (and this isn't just a problem for your muscles, since proteins are everywhere in your body, in your heart, in your skin, and so on).
This balanced protein cycle is crucial, and calorie restriction promotes it.
--- From "Chapter 4 Okinawans and Monks"

Many research reports show that cancer is very rare in whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Of the more than 1,800 cetaceans studied in the Canadian Arctic, cancer was found in only one, and none in about 50 beluga whales.
Of 130 dead bowhead whales examined between 1980 and 1989, only one had a benign tumor in its liver.
L., who wrote about the causes of death of bowhead whales in “The Bowhead Whale”.
“It is unlikely that tumors are a major cause of disease or mortality in bowhead whales,” said Michael Filo.
So what's the secret to bowhead whales' longevity and anti-cancer effects? While their food is plentiful in the summer, it's generally scarce during the dark, cold winter months.
During winter, these whales are extremely calorie-restricted and derive most of their nutrients from ketogenesis and autophagy of stored fat.
This pattern of turning the switch on for nine months of the year and turning it off for the next three months is what I support in my program.
The story of the bowhead whale illustrates the value of intermittent fasting, calorie restriction (like monks do), and the occasional ketogenic diet.
However, we can also see that it is important to activate Emtor during certain periods of the year to store nutrients and promote the growth of new tissues and cells.
--- From Chapter 8, Whales, Rodents, and Smokers

“Autophagy knows no discrimination.
This important process occurs in all of our bodies, no matter who we are or what genes we are born with.
Even at this very moment, autophagy is preparing to activate within you.
The strategies you learn in this book are applicable to anyone; you just need to be willing to implement them in your daily life.
“I hope you will do so.”

--- From "Conclusion: Let's love life healthily"