Scientists have discovered that when we give ourselves a break from eating – something extraordinary begins to happen to us. Our cells don’t just “rest”. They wake up and repair. They do a house clearance.
Autophagy is the natural regeneration process that occurs inside the body’s cells that can reduce the likelihood of some diseases, as well as increasing lifespan. It sprang to prominence in 2016, after Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for this research into how autophagy works. His studies have improved our understanding of disease mechanisms in conditions such as Parkinson’s and dementia.
Oshumi’s pioneering yeast experiments revealed autophagy’s core genes and mechanisms, showing how cells recycle under stress - such as prolonged fasting.
The cell biologist’s research accelerated efforts to find drugs tha
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