But first, let’s explore the basics of heart disease. 

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease, or cardiovascular disease, refers to problems with the circulatory system.  These problems include:

• • Insufficient blood flow to the brain (i.e., stroke)
  • The heart not pumping enough blood to meet the body’s needs
  • A buildup of plaque that narrows the arteries (this is called atherosclerosis)

Let’s talk about atherosclerosis because it’s the crux of heart disease. Atherosclerosis is often called the “silent killer” because it builds over a lifetime with no noticeable symptoms. Then one day, a heart attack occurs. Often, this event is fatal.  

The main drivers of atherosclerosis include:

• • Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) particles (they transport lipids throughout the body)
  • Inflammation
  • High blood pressure

Each of these factors contributes to heart disease in tandem with the others. The LDL particle, for instance, is the particle that burrows into the arterial wall, oxidizes, and precipitates the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

But if inflammation is low, the plaques — which are basically clumps of immune particles — can’t form. And if blood pressure is low, LDL particles are less likely to bump into (and stick to) the arterial wall in the first place. 

Fortunately, many heart disease risk factors are within human control. Let’s explore how fasting works, then we’ll see how it might help. 

How Intermittent Fasting Works

Intermittent fasting (IF) just means an eating pattern that takes regular breaks from food intake for a period of time. It’s about time-restricted feeding and fasting periods. It really is that simple. 

Generally, when people partake in intermittent fasting, they eat a healthy diet during feeding times, whether it’s a ketogenic diet or a Mediterranean diet (which is NOT a keto diet). There is also some element of calorie restriction; it’s not eat an entire cake during your eating period, but rather proper calorie intake based on your ideal macros (based on your age, body weight, and other factors) and a lower amount of carbohydrates (sugar). In between, during the long periods without food, the consumption of clear, very low- or no-calorie liquids, especially those that keep your electrolytes and potassium up. 

The most common forms of IF are:

• • 12/12: A daily 12-hour overnight fast
  • 16/8: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of the day when you eat
  • One-Meal-A-Day (OMAD): All your daily calories in one sitting
  • 5/2: 5 days of normal eating with 2 non-consecutive days of 0-25% of calories
  • Alternate day fasting (ADF): Every other day you reduce calories by 75-100%

Western culture, however, isn’t big on intermittent fasting. Snacks are available 24/7. There’s always something to nibble on. 

The thing is, when you eat constantly — especially if you’re eating sugar — your blood sugar levels (blood glucose) levels stay chronically elevated. Not only does this prevent you from burning fat; it also increases your risk for most of the major diseases. In fact, a diet of constant sugar largely explains why millions of Americans are diabetic or prediabetic.

By fasting intermittently, your blood sugar and insulin levels stay low. Low insulin, in turn, signals your body to start burning fat and producing ketones. For this reason, many see ongoing intermittent fasting as an antidote to diabetes. (And diabetes is basically a bundle of heart disease risk factors).  

6 Ways Fasting Improves Heart Health

Now that you’ve learned the basics, here are six ways fasting may decrease heart disease risk. 

#1: Diabetes reversal

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder marked by high blood sugar, high insulin, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and obesity. It’s caused by high sugar diets and sedentary lifestyles, which is why America has a diabetes epidemic. Why is this important for heart health? Because diabetes and heart disease are closely linked. In fact, heart disease is the main cause of death for diabetics.

The research on fasting for reversing diabetes is early but promising. One 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association found that 5:2 fasting significantly reduced blood sugar (HbA1c) in 70 patients with type 2 diabetes.

#2: Weight loss

Obesity is a primary heart disease risk factor. When an obese person loses weight, their heart disease risk decreases. There are a couple of ways intermittent fasting helps with weight loss. First, fasting lowers blood sugar and insulin levels — a metabolic step necessary to utilize (burn) body fat as energy. Also, many intermittent fasting regimens restrict calories. When you eat less energy than you use, you’re likely to lose weight. 

A growing body of research suggests that fasting, in various forms, is effective for losing weight. After reviewing the pertinent literature, the authors of one 2018 review concluded that “intermittent fasting was effective for short-term weight loss among normal weight, overweight and obese people.”

#3: Lower blood pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, has been known to increase heart disease risk for decades. It’s a widespread condition, affecting about 86 million US adults. Intermittent fasting has been shown, in multiple human trials, to improve hypertension. In one 2011 study, six months of 5:2 fasting significantly reduced blood pressure in overweight women.

#4: Lower LDL 

Think of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles as trucks carrying precious cargo — fat and cholesterol — throughout your body. But when there are too many trucks on the road, more accidents occur. In other words, a high number of LDL particles increases the risk of atherosclerosis.  

Fasting can lower LDL, at least in obese and diabetic populations. In one study, alternate day fasting lowered LDL cholesterol (a proxy for LDL particles) in obese people. It’s important, however, to differentiate between LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and LDL particle number (LDL-P). LDL-P counts the number of LDL particles per unit of blood, while LDL-C measures the amount of cholesterol (a separate molecule) within LDL particles. While they are usually correlated, LDL-P appears to track risk more accurately.

#5: Lower inflammation

When an LDL particle sticks to the artery wall, immune particles rush to the site, cause an uproar, and eventually form plaques. The point being: Without inflammation, you wouldn’t have atherosclerosis. Because of this, many protocols target inflammation to reduce heart disease risk. Even statins (best known for lowering cholesterol) have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.

Can fasting reduce inflammation? The research suggests yes. One study published in Nutrition Journal, for instance, found that 12 weeks of alternate-day fasting decreased CRP (a marker of inflammation) in normal weight and overweight adults.

#6: Lower triglycerides and higher HDL

Triglycerides are tiny bundles of fat that circulate in the blood for energy. Lower triglycerides are linked to lower heart disease risk.

The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) molecule cruises the bloodstream to remove oxidized (or “bad”) cholesterol from blood vessel walls. Higher HDL is linked to lower heart disease risk.

Putting it all together, the triglyceride to HDL ratio has become a common tool in the CVD risk assessment toolkit. A lower ratio is correlated with lower risk. And alternate day fasting, it’s been shown, both reduces triglycerides and raises HDL levels.

What else can improve the triglyceride to HDL ratio? If you guessed the ketogenic diet, you’d be correct!

The Final Word

There are a number of benefits of intermittent fasting. If you want to take care of your heart, focus on improving your risk of heart disease. Practically speaking, this means minimizing obesity, diabetes, inflammation, high blood pressure, and high LDL. All these risk factors accompany the sugary diet and sedentary lifestyle so common in modern society. The effects of intermittent fasting should help with heart wellness.

Intermittent fasting, it’s been shown, can reverse these risk factors. And by doing so, it appears to decrease heart disease risk. More research is needed in the healthcare community and cardiology sector, however, before we can draw firm conclusions. 

The post How Intermittent Fasting Can Help Your Heart appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Extended fasting, also called periodic fasting, is nothing new. Humans have gone long stretches without food since time immemorial; during fasts, our ancestors burned body fat to power their hunting and gathering.

Today, a growing body of research suggests that longer fasts are safe and beneficial for most people. However, this doesn’t mean that extended fasting is for everyone. Or that it’s easy. 

In this article, you’ll learn the basics of extended fasting: how it works, why it’s beneficial, and how to do an extended fast. Keep reading. 

How Extended Fasting Works

An extended fast refers to a long period of time—typically over 36 hours—without eating; during this time, water, electrolytes, and non-caloric beverages are allowed. Think of extended fasting as a supercharged version of intermittent fasting. The effects are more or less the same, but amplified due to longer periods without food. 

The main effect of fasting is on your metabolism, or how you use energy. Fasting flips a metabolic switch, which moves you from sugar-burning (or fat-storing) mode to fat-burning mode. 

In fact, fat is stored in the body for this very reason: to provide energy when food is scarce. Believe it or not, with enough body fat, you can fuel yourself for a shockingly long time. Case in point: in the 1970s, researchers fasted a morbidly obese man for 382 days. He entered the fast at 456 pounds and exited at 180 pounds with no serious side effects because body fat fueled his extended fast. 

Losing excess fat is just one reason extended fasting is good for you. Let’s explore the top four reasons to fast here:

Benefits of Extended Fasting

Why practice extended fasting? Consider the following benefits:

1. Weight loss. As you might imagine, long periods of fasting stimulate weight loss. One 2019 study from PLOS One, for example, followed 1,422 volunteers on an extended-fasting program over the course of a year. When the study was over, the participants had lost significant weight.

It is worth noting that most weight loss early in the fast will be water weight, especially if you’re not fat-adapted. This means that you will most likely regain some weight when normal eating is resumed. But as your metabolism adapts to using fat for energy, more of this weight loss will be fat loss. 

2. Lower blood sugar and insulin levels. High blood sugar and insulin levels are the defining features of type 2 diabetes, a serious metabolic disorder affecting about one in 10 Americans. All types of fasting lower blood-sugar levels, but longer fasts move the needle further and faster. Dr. Jason Fung, bestselling author of The Complete Guide to Fasting, has successfully used both intermittent and extended fasting protocols to reverse type 2 diabetes in his Toronto clinic.
3. Ketosis. As mentioned above, fasting lowers insulin levels. This, in turn, signals your liver to start burning fat and producing ketones. Ketones have many functions, but they primarily serve as brain fuel. In one study, higher ketone levels were linked to better mental performance in older adults. This means that fasting will incite ketosis, which is likely to improve cognitive function.
4. Autophagy. In the absence of nutrients (i.e. during a fast), your cells activate a recycling program called autophagy. Think of autophagy as an anti-aging cleanup mechanism: the old, damaged cell parts go in, and refreshed parts come out. All things equal, longer fasts activate more autophagy than shorter ones. Though we can’t effectively measure autophagy in humans (and you won’t feel it), autophagy unquestionably helps your cells stay vital and healthy. So, do an extended fast and increase your cell recycling and refreshing!

Now that you know the benefits of fasting, let’s explore the process. 

Building Up To Extended Fasting

If you’re new to fasting, it’s best to start slow. Don’t start with a two-day fast. Instead, baby-step your way towards fasts of two or more days by starting with overnight fasts. 

An overnight fast of 14 to 16 hours has been shown to lower blood sugar, improve insulin function, and enhance your wake/sleep cycle. This style of fasting typically includes two meals per day—one at 12 PM and one before 8 PM or one at 9 AM and 5 PM, for example. After a couple of weeks of overnight fasting, you can graduate to intermittent fasts of 18 to 24 hours. 

These shorter fasts help your body fat-adapt, making extended fasts—which generally range from two days to about a month—much easier. 

Another tip to help you access body fat for fuel? Eat a ketogenic diet before and after your fast. Keto, like fasting, helps lower insulin levels, priming your cells to burn fat instead of sugar. 

Breaking Your Extended Fast

When you fast for days on end, your stomach shrinks. To prevent indigestion, it’s important to not gorge yourself the first meal back. Instead, you should think small. 

Make your first meal a small one, such as a protein shake or a few hundred calories of lean meat. Protein is not only easier to digest than fat, but also it switches off muscle catabolism (muscle loss). After your mini-meal, wait about an hour before eating a regular-size meal that’s rich in healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil. These fats will help you stay in ketosis. 

A final tip is to eat iodine-rich foods (like seaweed, shrimp, tuna, and eggs) following a fast to support the production of your thyroid hormones T3 and T4. This tip is especially important for women, who generally need more thyroid support while fasting. 

For more info on safely breaking a fast, watch our video featuring celebrity health coach Thomas DeLauer. 

Tips For Extended Fasting Success

If you’re planning on fasting for over 36 hours, these tips will help you succeed:

• Take electrolytes. Insulin levels drop during a fast, causing increased sodium loss through urine. Taking potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus while fasting can also help prevent refeeding syndrome, in which crucial minerals are depleted to rebuild glycogen, protein, and fat in your body following a fast. If you don’t want to supplement electrolytes, drink bone broth. It’s an electrolyte-rich superfood. Enjoy a cup of bone broth twice a day during longer fasts. Though it has a bit of protein, it shouldn’t meaningfully interfere with your fasts.
  
• Hydrate. Fasting has a diuretic effect, meaning you lose fluids quickly. Replace those fluids with noncaloric, unsweetened, non-dairy beverages like coffee, tea, bone broth, and—yes—water.
  

• Ride out the hunger. Hunger doesn’t increase the entire time you fast, but rather it ebbs and flows. Most people get hungriest on the second day of an extended fast. After that, it gets easier.
• Track your fast. Consider an app like the LIFE Fasting Tracker to make a fasting plan, track key metrics, and keep yourself accountable.
  

• Fast with others. This helps you stay motivated. Plus, it’s fun to share metrics like hours fasted, ketone levels, and glucose ketone index (GKI) measurements.
  

• Monitor ketone and glucose levels. As you get deeper into a fast, your ketone levels should rise and your glucose levels should fall. This is an indication that your metabolism is adapting properly. Use an accurate at-home device like the Keto-Mojo meter to track your ketones, your glucose, and your GKI. See this article on glucose levels and this article on ketone levels for more info on these metrics. 
  
• Plan your first meal carefully. If you don’t break your fast wisely, your gut won’t be happy. See this video for tips.

Is Extended Fasting For Everyone?

Most people can likely handle extended fasting without significant problems. Out of 1,422 non-obese participants in the aforementioned fasting study, less than one percent had adverse effects. That said, these fasts were conducted in supervised clinical settings. You should always consult with your primary care provider before trying dramatic dietary changes.

In some cases, supervision is recommended, especially for those with type 2 diabetes. Many diabetics are on drugs—like insulin and metformin—which can push blood-sugar levels dangerously low during a fast if these medications aren’t properly adjusted. 

The following groups should avoid extended fasting altogether:

• • Underweight people
  • Children
  • Anyone with an eating disorder

Finally, hunger is normal while fasting. But if you’re feeling shaky, dizzy, or weak, you may be experiencing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). That’s a signal to break the fast. 

If you’re considering extended fasting, you’ll want to do your homework to get things right. Your first assignment after reading this article? Read The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung.

The Final Word

When you fast for 36 hours or more, you enter into the realm of extended fasting. The benefits of this practice include weight loss, lower blood sugar, ketosis, and enhanced autophagy.

To help your body adapt to using body fat for energy, start with shorter fasts and work your way up to longer fasts. When breaking your fast, eat a small protein-rich meal, then wait 60 minutes and have a regular meal with plenty of healthy fats.

Taking electrolytes, drinking bone broth, and tracking your fast will help you succeed during longer fasts. Finally, extended fasting is safe for most people, but certain groups (like type 2 diabetics) should be careful and may need supervision. Regardless, you should always check with your primary care provider before making dramatic changes to your diet. 

The post Extended Fasting: Benefits, Tips, and How To Get Started appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

Benefits that Come From Breaking a Fast

We have to remember that with intermittent fasting, a lot of the benefit comes from when we break our fast. What I mean by that is we get to capitalize on being highly insulin sensitive. So that we absorb protein better. So that we utilize fats better. So that we utilize potential carbohydrates better and whatever the case it is that the diet that we’re following. But we have to be paying close attention to how we break that fast. It’s kind of like you would say with Spiderman, right. With great power comes great responsibility.

The Importance of Testing with a Meter

Now when you’re fasting, you should be measuring your ketones in the first place. Okay ’cause that’s going to tell you how deep into a fast you really are. The higher ketones levels are, the more in a quote, unquote fasted state you truly are. It doesn’t mean that you’re not officially fasting if your ketones aren’t high. But it’s a great indicator. So I usually tell people that are a little bit more experienced not to necessarily worry about the length of time that they fast, but worry about the relative length of time on their body via measuring their ketones. Simple example of that is someone that is new to fasting might get into ketosis during their fast much faster than someone that is experienced. So their numbers and how long they should fast are entirely different. Point is, use a meter. But that’s not what this video’s about.

What Should You Break Your Fast With?

What should you be breaking your fast with? What should your checklist look like? Well I’m going to give you two scenarios. I’m going to give you a scenario for men and a scenario for women. Okay for men, the first thing that you want to make sure that you have on hand is going to be some form of lean protein powder, or a lean protein in general. We don’t want to have fatty cuts of meat coming in right after we break a fast, simply because all we want is to capitalize on the protein. We don’t want to capitalize on anything else because we are in a position where we’re insulin sensitive and we can utilize that protein significantly better.

Fat vs. Protein

Fat, although very, very, very good on the ketogenic diet does not come into play right when we break a fast. Because it can simply slow down the absorption of that protein. So what you’ll typically want to do is have your lean protein, have a protein shake, something like that and in 60 minutes later or so, then have a larger meal. And that’s the meal where you’re going to want to have and pay attention to this, good polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. So we’re talking about olive oil, we’re talking about avocado oil, things like that because those have been shown in studies to stimulate ketone production that much faster. And what we really want to try to do is we want to try to extend the life of the fast even when we’re not fasting. And the way that with we do that is by stimulating ketone production. So you break your fast with lean protein. That sure might stop the ketogenic process for a small amount of time. But then you continue on, later on and you have your next meal. Perhaps it’s something like this. A bowl of spaghetti squash, maybe just a cup or so along with some olive oil, maybe some pesto and maybe a little bit of chicken or a little bit of ground beef. What’s that’s going to do, that’s going to give you the fats. It’s going to give you the protein, but most importantly, it’s going to give you fats that break into ketones a lot faster, okay. Things like the olive oil and the avocado oil.

How Should Women Break a Fast?

Okay that’s very, very simple when it comes down to breaking a fast for men with women, it actually gets a little bit more complicated because we need to take extra care of the thyroid. Now we need to do so without slowing down the absorption of the proteins. So when you break your fast, you still want to have lean protein just like a male would. Nothing really changes there. You have muscles too. In fact, you can actually probably synthesize protein even better than men. So the point is you definitely want that protein in. But you need to be taking care of your T3 and T4 levels of your thyroid a little bit more. So I usually recommend some foods that are high in zinc, shortly thereafter. You could be looking at things like walnuts, things like almonds, shellfish, shrimp, scallops if you enjoy those. That is a perfect thing to have after you break your fast. Or even break your fast with something like shrimp or scallops if you enjoy it. Another thing that I highly recommend having on your little checklist is going to be some seaweed snacks if you like them. You see seaweed snacks are very high in iodine and iodine combines with tyrosine to create of course the active T3 hormone within our body. It’s very important that women pay attention to their thyroid levels. They are much more susceptible to hypothyroidism and when you’re fasting, you are in effect slowing down your thyroid for at least that point in time.

Why You Should Have Cinnamon After a Fast

Now another quick tip that I recommend men and women both have on hand is going to be some sort of cinnamon capsules or perhaps some powdered cinnamon that you put in some tea, shortly before you break your fast. The reason that you do this is it mimics insulin within the body, which lowers cortisol levels. Now that’s a whole different rabbit hole that I can go down, but in essence, the short answer is this. Cortisol is not a bad thing unless it is combined with food. And when you’re fasting, your cortisol levels are high. So when you think about it, at the end of a fast, your cortisol levels are high. And then you consume food. Well guess what? You’re combining food with high levels of cortisol. It just so happens that insulin blunts cortisol. And since cinnamon mimics insulin within the body, we can sort of artificially lessen our cortisol levels so that when we do break our fast, we have less potential of that cortisol storing the fuel that we just consumed as fat.

The Checklist for Men and Women

So in short, here’s the checklist for both men and women. Lean protein, or a protein shake. Okay, shrimp or scallops or some kind of shellfish for women, if possible. Okay then we have seaweed or some kind of a food that’s rich in iodine, also for women. And then later on, after you break your fast, then you have something like walnuts or pistachios or almonds or some kind of nut that’s going to be high in the specific minerals that you need, specifically zinc in this case. Okay and then of course we want to have some cinnamon on hand, and it’s also not a bad idea to have some ginseng on hand too. Simply ’cause it could help with digestion and help with your energy levels when you come off of the fast. But most importantly, measure your ketones, not just when you’re fasting, but after you break your fast too. So you can see how these foods truly react within your body. I’m Thomas DeLauer with Keto-Mojo and I will see you in the next video.

The post Tips for Breaking a Fast appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

There’s something that a lot of people that practice intermittent fasting talk about and that’s autophagy. Now I’m going to explain what autophagy is in just a second. But the purpose of this video is to teach you that due to the fact that your body produces ketones during a fast, autophagy isn’t quite as important as you might be thinking. Okay, so autophagy is this, autophagy is where your body has sort of a built-in cellular recycling process. Think of it like your cell’s little Pac-Man. And this Pac-Man opens up and eats all these old components of the cell that don’t need to be used anymore.

How Fasting Triggers Autophagy

Now, why is this important when it comes down to fasting? Well, think about this. Let’s say you haven’t eaten for 16-20 hours. You don’t have any nutrients coming in, so your body has no choice but to try to find and conserve food from other places. So it takes components of the cell that are not really being used, or fragmented portions of DNA that aren’t being used, and uses them as fuel. It’s basically recycling it’s own components in an effort to gain energy. It’s really really powerful stuff. But, the problem is that so many people believe that autophagy is the end all be all. So for example, they’ll be afraid to consume something because it might stop autophagy. Or, they’re afraid that their fast isn’t going to be as effective because they’re not getting into that stage of autophagy.

Relationship Between Ketones & Autophagy

Well, I want to explain how the ketogenic diet actually triggers autophagy, and how autophagy is not necessarily everything you have to bank on. You see, there’s a study that is published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) that found, at a 48 hour fast, autophagy tends to decline, now, my reason in mentioning this is because, as autophagy declines, it doesn’t mean that the fast is no longer beneficial, you see, they always have kind of a give and a take. When you are fasting for a long period of time, you have an upregulation of ketones. Okay, the longer that you fast, generally, the more ketones that you’re going to have in your blood. Now, ketones have a world of benefits, right? They have genetic properties, they have, ultimately, macronutrient properties, they have abilities to fuel the brain, they’re a very powerful thing. But, as ketones upregulate, we tend to see a little bit of a decline in autophagy at the micro-level with fasting. And this is simply because the ketones that are elevating throughout the fast are actually stopping the breakdown of proteins, now this is a good thing in a lot of different ways, right? The longer that you fast, the more protein you actually conserve, it’s contrary to what most people would say. So, when you fast for a long period of time, the ketones preserve your proteins. And when your proteins are being preserved, you have more protein in your bloodstream, which actually turns off autophagy.

Ketones are a Better Measure of Fasting Effectiveness

So my point in saying this once again is that we can’t dictate whether a fast is good or bad, only on autophagy. We really should be paying attention to our fast based on our ketone levels, ’cause that’s the benefit that we’re actually getting from everything. So, don’t get me wrong, autophagy is good, and there’s a lot of ways that the ketogenic diet, in and of itself, can actually induce autophagy through other mechanisms. But, for the simple on-off switch that has to do with fasting, the measurement that you should be looking at, more than anything, is your ketones. You’re going to drive yourself absolutely off the wall trying to wonder if you have a high degree of autophagy occurring or not, and the fact is, unless you have access to a multi-million dollar lab, you’re never going to know, but the one thing that you can do, is to actually test your blood, and test your ketones. Higher ketones mean deeper into a fast.

Autophagy Levels Vary

Don’t worry about what your autophagy level is at that point in time. And remember, your autophagy’s going to change from organ-to-organ. So, just one last thing to leave you with, just because autophagy is high in your liver at one point in time, doesn’t mean that it’s not high in your muscles at another point in time. Always going to be changing, always revolving, depending on what we are doing, and what our lifestyle is at that very point in time. But the one common denominator, the one gold standard that we can always lean on is testing your ketones. And that’s why you leave the measuring to the meter, and leave that guesswork out of the equation.

I’m Thomas DeLauer, and I’ll see you in the next Keto-Mojo video.

The post Fasting & Autophagy (the body’s way of cleansing cells) appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

When your home gets dirty, you clean it. If you’re feeling ambitious, you might even replace some of the old fixtures. That’s what autophagy, or the body’s consumption of its own tissue as a metabolic recycling process, does for your other, more permanent home: your body. 

When you activate or trigger autophagy, you activate cellular cleanup. You take old and damaged cell parts, and replace them with new ones. In a sense, autophagy helps regenerate your body. 

Keep reading to learn how autophagy works, the health benefits of autophagy, and how to activate this cellular recycling process. And yes, you’ll also discover the interesting truth about keto and autophagy. 

What Is Autophagy?

Autophagy is a term derived from Ancient Greek. Auto means self, phagy means eating. Self eating. The translation fits well. When you activate autophagy, your cells literally start eating themselves—recycling old parts and replacing them with new ones.

Why clean and recycle cell parts? Because over time, they accumulate damage. This damage is driven, in part, by molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS).

ROS aren’t all bad. They’re generated as part of normal metabolism, and they are valuable immune-signaling molecules to boot. 

But as we age, ROS can wear down and damage your cellular machinery. The term “oxidative stress,” in fact, refers to the wear-and-tear these molecules have on your cells. 

Oxidative stress is serious business and can literally destroy the membranes surrounding your cells. Oxidative stress also corrodes your mitochondria (tiny organelles powering your cells) over the years, leading to a functional decline or even cell death. 

Your mitochondria could use a refresh, and that’s where autophagy comes in. Autophagy may, in fact, improve mitochondrial function, especially in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Next up—for all you science lovers—a bit of explanation on how autophagy actually works. 

How Autophagy Works

Autophagy doesn’t happen randomly. Your cells must receive a cleanup signal from your body.  

This signal is largely controlled by two nutrient-sensing pathways:

1. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) — this activates autophagy
2. mammalian target of rapamycin (mTor) — this inhibits autophagy

AMPK is your internal warning alert that your body needs nutrients. Triggered intentionally by a fast or starvation, AMPK signals your body to hunker down and activate cellular defense mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is autophagy.

MTor, on the other hand, is a growth pathway, and inhibits autophagy. Eating a steak boosts mTor, while fasting suppresses it.

Simply put: to encourage autophagy, you want to activate AMPK and suppress mTor.

Once autophagy gets sparked, your cells go into an autophagic state and start eating themselves. Cleanup time! 

Here’s how this works:

• • The autophagosome (a double-membraned vesicle containing cellular material slated to be degraded by autophagy) hauls cellular junk to the lysosome (an organelle containing degradative enzymes in a membrane)
  •  The lysosome unleashes enzymes to break the cellular junk into usable materials, like amino acids
  • Your cell uses these amino acids to form new cell parts

The fact is, autophagy is best described as recycling, not cleaning. The old materials aren’t wasted, but instead reallocated for new construction projects. Pretty cool. 

Why Induce Autophagy?

What is the role of autophagy? Why induce it? Well for one: when autophagy isn’t induced, bad things appear to happen in the human body. Impaired autophagy, in fact, is linked to a long list of diseases and conditions: Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s, AL amyloidosis, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, and cancer—to name a few.

And yet much of the data on the benefits of autophagy come from animal studies; worms, flies, and mice sacrificed in controlled settings to measure autophagy levels.

It’s not easy to measure autophagy in humans. The average person isn’t keen on muscle biopsies. So keep in mind, when reading the next section, that human data on autophagy benefits isn’t exactly grade A. 

The Benefits of Autophagy

Here’s a list of potential autophagy benefits, along with brief descriptions of the research:

• Longevity: In numerous animal studies, researchers have shown that increasing autophagy (via fasting, genetic engineering, or supplementation) increases lifespan. Does it apply to humans? Unclear.
• Improves metabolism: Autophagy helps protect pancreatic beta cells—which may offset the insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.
• Brain protection: Fasting activates neuronal autophagy that helps clear proteins (like amyloid beta) linked to neurodegenerative disease. (Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc.)

• Cancer suppression: Autophagy helps remove damaged proteins involved in tumor formation. However, once the tumor is formed, autophagy may enhance cancer cell survival.

• Cardiovascular health: Research suggests that activating autophagy in cardiac tissue may reduce the risk of heart disease. Stay tuned on this one.

• DNA repair: DNA damage underlies many diseases. Based on animal and test-tube evidence, scientists speculate that autophagy may promote DNA repair and reduce chronic disease risk.

How to Activate Autophagy

Recall that high AMPK and low mTor signal autophagy. The most reliable way to make this happen? Fasting.

Long fasts probably induce more autophagy than short-term caloric restriction and nutrient deprivation, but there isn’t enough data to recommend an optimal autophagy protocol yet. 

There are a variety of fasts that are popular at the moment for weight loss, improved immune-system response, and more. Some are liquid fasts that can go on for a set number of days. There is also intermittent fasting, which involves eating a specific amount of macros within a fixed window on a daily or semi-daily basis; a popular version—”16/8”—involves eating in an 8 hour window (say, from 11 AM to 7 PM) and then conducting a 16-hour fast for the rest of the day. 

Other autophagy-activators include:

• Exercise—especially high-intensity exercise
• Drinking coffee
• Taking supplements like curcumin, resveratrol, and berberine

Finally, the topic you’ve been waiting for. Does a higher fat low-carb ketogenic diet induce autophagy?

Keto and Autophagy

Recent evidence suggests that yes, a keto diet (where your body relies on ketones for energy instead of carbs) does activate autophagy; in animals, at least. In a 2018 study, researchers showed that putting rats on a keto diet boosted autophagy and protected their brains from seizure-induced damage.

Again, AMPK is the likely driving force in the keto-autophagy effect. Keto boosts AMPK, and AMPK signals autophagy. There’s a reason, after all, that keto is called a fasting mimicking diet. Both fasting and keto change your metabolism in similar ways.

The Final Word

To summarize what you just learned about autophagy:

• Autophagy happens at a cellular level and is when your cells digest and recycle damaged cellular components.
• AMPK and mTor – your nutrient-sensing pathways – govern your level of autophagy.
• Autophagy isn’t just about cleaning, but also about reusing raw materials.
• Though human data is lacking, autophagy may promote healthy aging, heart health, DNA repair, brain health, and a healthy metabolism. 
• Fasting is the most reliable way to activate autophagy and autophagy-related health benefits.
• Early animal data suggests a keto diet can induce autophagy.

While the world waits for better data, don’t stress about activating autophagy. Fast occasionally, enjoy a cup of coffee, and consider trying a keto diet. Then kick back, relax, and picture your cells renewing themselves. 

The post What Is Autophagy? Your Body’s Way of Recycling Damaged Cells appeared first on KETO-MOJO.

What is Intermittent Fasting

Fundamentally, fasting is more than just planning to skip breakfast. It’s a voluntary prolonged abstinence from food, beverage, or both, for a specific amount of time, ranging from hours to weeks with the intention of helping jumpstart your body toward optimal health. It involves following an eating pattern of planned eating periods and fasting periods and can be short-term or long-term and every day or alternate day fasting. It also involves managing your calorie intake, usually with calorie restriction; while intermittent fasting isn’t always associated with a high-fat diet or low-carb diet, it is popular among the keto community. It’s also popular form of dieting with an aim for fat loss, but it has other health benefits as well (Hello, autophagy.).

Though intermittent fasting is a white-hot trend in the health and fitness world, it’s not a remotely new concept. In fact, fasting has been practiced for thousands of years in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and native tribal religions/spirituality, and beyond as a ritual to heal the body and soul, as a form of penance/sacrifice, and to purify. (Think Ramadan for Muslims, Uposatha for Buddhists, and Ash Wednesday and Good Friday for the Roman Catholic church.) But fasting has also always had clinical health-related appeal to physicians and philosophers, dating as far back as the times of Hippocrates, Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle.

Hippocrates, generally regarded as the father of medicine, said, “Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick, is to feed your sickness.” This quote embodies the core philosophy of the keto diet: feed your body food that promotes health. It also nods to the role of fasting, or refraining from eating to help fight sickness and promote wellness. 

Intermittent fasting, or alternating cycles of fasting and eating, is a way of making fasting an ongoing part of a health-minded lifestyle. We’ll discuss how and for how long below, but first let’s explore the benefits. 

What are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Following are the benefits of intermittent fasting. You’ll see they’re similar to those of a keto diet, where meal plans ensure you maintain high ketone levels and use ketones for energy rather than glucose (sugar). If used in conjunction with a keto lifestyle, fasting heightens the benefits you’re already getting. 

• Mental clarity
• Increased energy levels
• Weight loss / lower body weight
• Reduced body fat percentage (fat burning)
• Lowered blood insulin levels
• Lower glucose (blood sugar) levels
• Lower cholesterol levels
• Reduction and possible elimination of diabetes medications (as prescribed by a healthcare provider)
• Reduction of inflammation
• Increased level of ketosis (In the fasted state, your body depletes your glucose stores and turns to fats for fuel, pushing most people who don’t even follow a ketogenic diet into ketosis for at least a brief period of time. Between this and the decrease in insulin you are setting your body up for optimal ketosis.)

How to Intermittent Fast

There are all kinds of fasts, from one day fasts to 24-hour fasts to fasts that last a week or more. But intermittent, or eat-stop-eat plans, create fasting windows. Some of the more popular intermittent fasting methods/schedules are the following:

• 16:8 (16 hours fasting per day followed by eating within an eight hour window)
• 14:10 (14 hours fasting per day followed by eating over a ten hour time frame)
• OMAD (one meal a day)
• 5:2 (eating 5 days per week, then conducting a partial fast for 2 days)

Let’s break these intermittent fasting plans down. 

The 16:8 method of intermittent fasting works by fasting for 16 hours, then consuming your meals/macronutrients (macros)/calories during an eight hour period of time. During this time regardless of diet preference it is suggested to eat lower glycemic foods such as vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, and some dairy and ensure you are getting plenty of fiber. The same is true for the 14:10 schedule of intermittent fasting; you go 14 hours without eating, then eat your meals/calories during a 10 hour period of time. During both the 16:8 and 14:10 schedules you should be able to fit in 2 to 3 meals, and you’ll want to maintain proper hydration and keep up your electrolytes. 

For the one meal a day or OMAD method of fasting, you eat only one meal a day and fast until the next day’s meal. This means you are getting all, or at the very least most, of your calories, vitamins, and minerals in that one meal. 

With the 5:2 intermittent fasting schedule, you eat 5 days of the week and do a 500 to 600 calorie fast for the remaining 2 days. 

With each of these diet-plan options, you are still allowed to drink black tea, black coffee, and water during the fasting state. This helps to keep you hydrated and, in some cases, wards off hunger. It’s also thought in many circles that you can add additions to your water, coffee, or tea and not break your fast as long as they are under 50 calories.

See the timelines below for example fasting schedules, but note that fasting is very personal and you need to take your own bio-individuality into consideration when determining what works for you. 

Tips For Intermittent Fasting

If you’re considering fasting, we recommend you heed the following advice:

1. Consult your healthcare provider or dietitian before making any dietary changes, whether you have type 2 diabetes, medical risk factors, or consider yourself optimally healthy.
2. Make sure to stay properly hydrated.
3. To mitigate possible side effects, ensure you get the appropriate amount of electrolytes each day regardless of intermittent or extended fasting.
4. Feel free to experiment with different fasting times to see what works best for you.
5. Start slowly! Try intermittent fasting one day a week and slowly work up to the amount of days a week you would like to implement intermittent fasting.
6. When you’re in the eating window/feeding state, choose low-glycemic (foods low in carbohydrates or sugars) and nutritious foods that are high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins to maintain optimal health.
7. For optimal results, pair intermittent fasting with your low-carb or ketogenic lifestyle, which naturally uses fat for fuel in a similar way that fasting does.

How Long Should You Fast

The duration of any intermittent fast is based on your individual desires, needs, and body; it’s great for anyone interested in weight loss, blood glucose control, or therapeutic benefits in relation to cancer, autoimmune disorders, and inflammation. It can be done for one day or a few days per week (women are generally said to benefit most from 14 hour fasts) or for as long as you like and as long as it feels right for you.

Within the first week, you’re likely to experience heightened appetite control and improved blood-glucose control, with the additional benefits following shortly thereafter. For those new to intermittent fasting, starting out fasting 10 to 16 hours fasting two days a week, then see how you feel. Depending on your goals, you may want to step this up to five days a week or even seven days a week.

Extended Fasting

Extended fasting is going for 24 hours or more on a “wet” fast (liquids only). While fasting days may have therapeutic benefits (to address cancer, obesity, and neuroprotective properties), the research is still in its infancy and this type of fasting is not for the newbie. Dr. Jason Fung, one of the most cited physicians around fasting and the author of The Complete Guide to Fasting, explains why: “Instead of undertaking shorter fasts and gradually extending it, [people new to fasting] immediately opt for a full on water-only extended fast. This is like a rookie mountaineer that decides that he/she will tackle Mount Everest, without oxygen and push on to the summit irregardless of weather.”

Extended fasts should only be done under medical supervision with the use of monitoring through blood tests, urinalysis, and physician physical exams and supplementation of vitamins, minerals, and hydration.

Who Should Not Fast

Fasting isn’t for everyone, especially people who are any of the following:

• Underweight with a BMI of 18.5 or less (no need to burn fat or lose weight)
• Malnourished
• Children
• Pregnant 
• Breastfeeding 
• Hypoglycemic
• Experiencing eating disorders

Note: While intermittent fasting can be quite beneficial for the diabetic, it’s best to work closely with your healthcare provider to ensure that it’s implemented in a safe and healthy way.

Inspiration for You if You Want to Fast

Want to try intermittent fasting but worried you can’t handle extended periods without food? You may want to reframe your thinking. In his book, Dr. Fung makes a great point: “We talk a lot about what you should eat and what you shouldn’t eat. But people never talk about meal timing — making sure you have long periods where you’re not eating. Look at the word ‘breakfast’ in English. That’s break fast. That’s the meal that breaks your fast. This implies that fasting is a part of everyday life. We’ve forgotten that. We think it’s some sort of Herculean effort, but it’s not. We should be fasting every day.”

Want more info? Watch this quick video explaining ketosis and fasting.

The post What Is Intermittent Fasting & Should I Do It? appeared first on KETO-MOJO.