How to enhance autophagy?

Autophagy means “self-eat.” This is the state in which your body begins to recycle damaged proteins and pathogens.

When proteins become damaged, they can wreak havoc on your body. To prevent this harm, your body breaks down damaged proteins with enzymes and creates new healthy proteins.

There are several ways you can promote autophagy naturally:

1. Fasting - Fasting is a fantastic way to induce autophagy. It’s my opinion that fasting for 16-18 hours is ideal for autophagy—although few studies show an exact length of time for peak autophagy.

2. Exercise - Exercise is another excellent way to promote autophagy.

3. Coffee - Drinking coffee may help induce autophagy to some degree. I don’t recommend having much more than one cup of coffee each day. Way too much caffeine will affect your sleep, which can actually reduce autophagy.

4. Sulforaphane - This compound is a phytochemical that has health-protecting effects, including the ability to induce autophagy. You can get sulforaphane from fresh cruciferous vegetables or cruciferous supplements. You should be consuming plenty of vegetables (7-10 cups) every day.

5. Green tea (EGCG) - EGCG, or epigallocatechin gallate, is a powerful autophagy-inducing compound found in green tea. Additionally, EGCG is great for reducing inflammation and fighting off cancer cells.

6. Curcumin - Curcumin is a potent autophagy-promoting compound found in turmeric. Turmeric is often found in Indian foods like curry.

7. Resveratrol - This compound is primarily found in the skin of black grapes and red wine. Resveratrol has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and autophagy-promoting properties.