Understanding Autophagy

The key to unlocking your health and critical piece of our programs

The Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), developed with over 25 years of research and clinical testing, is scientifically formulated to mimic the benefits of a prolonged water fast while still providing nourishment and it is the cornerstone of our L-Nutra Health programs.

Why?

One word: autophagy. While there are several biological mechanisms that take place during an extended fast (all important in their own right), autophagy reigns supreme as a deep cleaning process for your body. During autophagy, cells remove and or recycle damaged or dysfunctional components, ensuring they are replaced with newer, healthier versions. It’s the body’s way of pressing the “reset”

(potentially even “rewind”) button and is essential for maintaining proper cellular health and function. Autophagy is typically triggered beginning on day three of a prolonged fast the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) is currently the only program that has shown preliminary data confirming the activation of autophagy in the human body when on the fast.

3 major pilars

There are three major pillars which can contribute to diabetes, obesity, and metabolic issues: cellular aging, insulin resistance, and muscle loss. Many studies and trials have shown that the FMD may impact the root cause of these issues through autophagy:

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Cellular aging

As cells age, they accumulate damage, leading to dysfunction, and potentially, disease; autophagy helps mitigate this by removing and recycling damaged cellular components. Studies have shown that three 5-day FMD cycles over three consecutive months may reduce biological age score by 2.5 years.
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Muscle Protection

Preserving muscle mass is vital for metabolic health, weight management, and overall well-being, and muscle is crucial for absorbing excess glucose from the bloodstream. While certain diabetes drugs like GLP-1s can lead to significant muscle loss (up to 40% muscle loss on average), contributing to insulin resistance and metabolic imbalances, FMD (as a result of autophagy) has been shown to target visceral fat weight loss while preserving lean muscle mass.
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Insulin resistance

Insulin Resistance: When cells in the body don't respond well to insulin, this leads to insulin resistance and results in higher blood sugar levels. Autophagy can enable cells to respond more effectively to insulin (insulin sensitivity), thereby helping to lower blood sugar. This enhanced sensitivity allows for better glucose uptake and utilization, which is crucial for maintaining normal blood glucose levels and preventing insulin resistance—a condition that can lead to type 2 diabetes.A clinical trial showed 59% reduced insulin resistance among participants with type 2 diabetes who used the FMD.

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1.
Forms a double
membrane
2.
The autophagosome
formation
3.
Autophagosome fuses
with a lysosome
4.
Degradation of cellular
component

How is autophagy triggered?

Autophagy is triggered, essentially, by starvation a critical biological mechanism that developed as a way of human survival during our evolution. After around three days of food deprivation, the body begins digesting its own components as a means for survival. From an evolutionary, survival standpoint, autophagy is a last resort an emergency mechanism.Therefore,autophagy will never be activated when we are eating or digesting food; specifically, when we eat certain amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, our body’s nutrient sensing path-ways called mTOR, PKA, and IGF-1 will activate and suppress autophagy’s functionality. It would make sense, then, that the most powerful way to activate autophagy is to turn off these growth stimulating, nutrient sensing pathways in other words, to make the body think it is being starved.

Caloric Restriction

FMD mimics the effects of fasting by reducing calorie intake, promoting a state of mild nutrient deprivation.

Metabolic Reset

FMD encourages the body to switch to a state of ketosis, when the body begins burning fat as fuel, as opposed to carbohydrates.This is a process that happens in tandem with autophagy.

Cellular Renewal

The unique combination of macronutrients and micronutrients supports the body in cleansing, rejuvenating,and recycling damaged cellular components, improving overall cellular function and metabolic health.

The frequency at which autophagy should be triggered varies depending on individual goals and circumstances; general guidelines for other wise healthy individuals suggest that completing three 5 day cycles three times per year (that’s a total of only 15 days) is enough to maximize the benefits. Research has been done to show that elicits the most optimal results.

L-Nutra Health’s scientifically designed FMDs offer a powerful tool to kickstart autophagy, potentially leading to cellular renewal, improved metabolic markers, weight loss with muscle preservation, diabetes reversal, and more. By integrating FMD into your life, you can unlock the potential for a longer, healthier, and more vibrant life.

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