Autophagy And Intermittent Fasting For Beautiful Skin

Autophagy is a big word, and an important one, because of how amazing it is for the body, including the skin. You can stimulate the process of autophagy by implementing intermittent fasting into your eating routine. Think of autophagy as your own personal housekeeper, that not only cleans your house – or body – but takes out the trash as well!

Autophagy and Intermittent Fasting

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I’ll now discuss how both autophagy and intermittent fasting promote beautiful, radiant, and younger-looking skin:

How Does Autophagy Work?

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Autophagy means to “eat itself,” and is a process that delivers some pretty fantastic effects, to not only the skin, but the entire body. The human body eliminates diseased and dysfunctional proteins and cells through the mechanism of autophagy. It’s like your body’s garbage man that comes to clear away and recycle internal trash, including pathogens and infectious micro-organisms. It also boosts immunity because the immune system can function more efficiently without all this damaged debris.

You’ve probably heard the word “apoptosis,” which is a form of programmed cell death. This is significant in regard to cancer because it prevents cancer cells from proliferating and forming tumors. Both apoptosis and autophagy are intrinsically programmed responses in the body, their differences lie in the fact that apoptosis kills dysfunctional cells, while autophagy recycles damaged cellular components, molecules, and organelles. This is why autophagy is a buzz word in the field of anti-aging.

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This process of self-cleansing clears the toxins and junk from your cells, including those in the dermis layer of the skin. It’s like a reset. This is why healthier, more-vibrant, and younger-looking skin is a byproduct of autophagy.

The reason intermittent fasting and autophagy are so effective is that they reduce insulin levels, while stimulating human growth hormone, which is the ultimate fat burner, lean-muscle producer, wrinkle reducer, and anti-aging hormone. And, of course, like every other process in the body, human growth hormone decreases with age. We’re lucky we have a sure-fire way of increasing this amazing hormone!

18/6 Intermittent Fasting

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I used to really dislike fasting, I didn’t like how it made me feel, but now after doing intermittent fasting for several months, I actually love how it makes me feel. It takes awhile to get to this point so it’s important to persevere and not give up. You’ll start noticing some pretty great benefits when your body starts burning fat for energy. How long that takes depends on how much sugar you have stored in your body. When the sugar is burned off, you’ll start burning fat.

Now keep in mind, intermittent fasting (IF) is a wet fast, meaning you can drink water. This makes it a lot easier. There are many ways of doing IF, with the most popular way being the 18/6 method. This is where you keep your eating window limited to six hours, fasting for the remaining 18. Fasting for 18 hours is much easier than not eating for 24, and you’ll still start reducing those destructive insulin levels.

How You Do It

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I want to put the 18 hour-fasting window into perspective for you. Let’s say you eat your last meal of the day at 7:00 in the evening. You go to bed at 11:00 p.m., and wake up at 8:00 a.m. If you’re a breakfast eater, skipping it will take some will power. Put a little sea salt on your tongue to stave off your hunger.

At 8:00 a.m., you would have fasted for 12 hours, with only six more to go. If you eat a late lunch at 1:00 p.m. you’ve completed your 18-hour fast. Now eat dinner around 7:00 p.m. again, repeating the entire process. Essentially, you are just cutting out your bedtime snack, and skipping breakfast. Not so bad, right?!

There are many ways to do IF, for instance, you could do the 14/8 method or the 12/12 way of eating. Both methods extend the eating window, reducing the hours of fasting. Do what works for you and your lifestyle, and realize you don’t have to do IF every day, or use the same method every day. Don’t get hardcore with it.

You can do IF two, three, or four times a week or skip a week entirely if you want. Start slowly in the beginning, allowing your body and mind to gradually get used to it. You get to choose how often you do it. For instance, you could do it for one week every three months as a reset. Make it work for you!

Get Healthy Looking Skin

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Now to the meat of this article. Intermittent Fasting stimulates autophagy and this process is what leads to better skin because it:

• Reduces inflammation, eliminating bloating and edema
• Prevents and reduces pimples and acne
• Improves skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis
• Rebalances gut flora, which impacts the skin
• Promotes weight loss, while preventing sagging skin
• Detoxifies the skin, improving both the look and texture
• Prevents premature aging and wrinkling of the skin
• Eliminates fatty deposits, highlighting the natural contours of the face
• Cleans up old scar tissue and wounds
• Reduces glycation by preventing diabetes

Key Points

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Turn back time with autophagy. You’ll love the amazing effects it has on your skin. It’s free, it’s powerful, and no other anti-aging technique can rival it.

Autophagy will also boost your energy levels and cognitive function, which will make you want to take better care of yourself and your skin!

Are you an intermittent faster? Have you noticed changes in your skin? Let me know in the comments:)

 

References:

[1] NCBI: Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss

[2] NCBI: Intermittent Fasting: Is the Wait Worth the Weight?

[3] PubMed: Role of Intermittent Fasting on Improving Health and Reducing Diseases

[4] Research Gate: Fasting and Its Impact on Skin Anatomy, Physiology, and Physiopathology: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

[5] Research Gate: Impact of Intermittent Fasting on Health and Disease Processes

[6] Research Gate: Intermittent fasting interventions for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults aged 18 years and over: A systematic review protocol.