Autophagy and fasting: why the Japanese microbiologist was given the Nobel Prize. Fasting technique Yoshinori Ohsumi: the benefits of autophagy for the body Fasting Japanese professor Nobel Prize
Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi became a Nobel laureate in the field of physiology and medicine.
Screenshot from video
Nobel Week 2016 has begun, during which the most honorable scientific awards in various fields will be distributed.
The laureate in the field of medicine and physiology was named on October 3. It was Yoshinori Osami, a cell biologist from the Tokyo University of Technology, who was awarded the award “for the discovery of the mechanisms of autophagy,” according to the Nobel Committee website.
His discoveries paved the way for understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy for a variety of physiological processes, such as adaptation to starvation and response to infection, explained in a press release for the award.
Autophagy is the process of recycling and recycling unnecessary parts of the cell - various “garbage” accumulated in it. The term is translated from Greek as “self-eating” or “self-eating.”
Autophagy mechanism.
Scientists discovered this phenomenon back in the 60s of the last century. But they could not understand the intricacies of the mechanism. Osumi did this in the 90s. While conducting his experiments, he also identified genes that are responsible for autophagy. Ohsumi became the 39th scientist in history to be awarded the Nobel Prize alone.
Autophagy is inherent in living organisms, including humans. Thanks to it, cells get rid of unnecessary parts, and the body as a whole gets rid of unnecessary cells.
Nature has endowed cells with the ability to digest what “looks” unnecessary or harmful. To put it very simply, cells pack “garbage” into special bags called autophagosomes. Then they are transferred to containers - lysosomes, where all this is destroyed and digested. Processed products are used to nourish or renew the cell.
Phagosome formation.
Infographic: Nobel Committee
Thanks to autophagy, the cell is cleansed of the infection that has entered it and the toxins that have formed.
Fusion of phagosome and lysosome.
Infographic: Nobel Committee
Autophagy begins to work most intensely when the body is under stress. For example, he is starving. In this case, the cell produces energy from its internal resources, that is, from any accumulated “garbage”, including pathogenic bacteria.
The discovery of a Japanese scientist shows that starving or fasting is still beneficial - the body is actually cleansed through autophagy.
It also protects the body from premature aging. It may even rejuvenate due to the fact that it creates new cells, removes defective proteins and damaged intracellular elements from the body, maintaining it in good condition.
And disturbances in autophagy processes lead to Parkinson's disease, diabetes and even cancer. Realizing this, doctors are creating new drugs that can correct disorders and, therefore, cure.
Well, for the purpose of prevention, it is sometimes worth fasting, driving the body into health-improving stress.
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In 2016, a Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his study of autophagy in nutritional yeast. Studies have found that periods of fasting have a positive effect on cell renewal and help slow down the aging process.
We are in website we figured out what the essence of “self-eating” of cells is and why Yoshinori’s work is the first serious evidence of the long-known “miracle of starvation.”
1. Can cells “eat” themselves?
Yes. The process of recycling and recycling unnecessary cell parts is called autophagy. The term that gives the process its name is derived from two Greek words that together translate as “self-eating.” Through cell autophagy get rid of unnecessary organelles, and the body as a whole - from dead or damaged cells; In the future, the cells that have expired will be used to build new ones.
More than 60 years have passed since the discovery of this ability of cells, and only recently Yoshinori Ohsumi, exploring autophagy in nutritional yeast, was able to determine the set of genes responsible for it. It turned out that the same genes exist not only in yeast, but also in most living organisms, including humans.
2. What are the benefits of “self-eating”?
In general, autophagy is responsible for the body's ability to renew itself, fight infections and remove toxins. Impaired autophagy processes have been associated with various diseases, including cancer, type II diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. It is known that when an infection occurs, the cell tries to “digest” the bacteria, using the same mechanisms and proteins with which it renews itself.
By influencing the processes of autophagy in cancer cells, it is probably possible to ensure that the body mistakes them for damage and destroys them on its own without the use of chemotherapy. It would not be superfluous to speed up cell renewal processes in older people to combat the negative effects of aging.
3. How does fasting affect the “self-eating” of cells?
During periods of food refusal, the level of glucose in the blood drops, which means that the production of insulin, which is responsible for its transport to the tissues, also decreases. For the human body, this means that the supply of nutrients has stopped and it is necessary to switch to survival mode- glucagon production begins. The main function of this hormone is to stimulate autophagy.
This body's defense reaction for processing “outdated” cells to obtain nutrients “from within”.
4. Did we know about this before?
The positive effects of fasting have been known for a long time. The Bible describes cases 40 day fast Jesus and Moses. The religion of ancient Iran required abstaining from eating for 50 days, and modern Islam contains restrictions during the holy month of Ramadan.
Indeed, with prolonged refusal of food, metabolism slows down. If you refuse food for 12–72 hours, metabolism, on the contrary, accelerates. This is due to the production of stress hormone norepinephrine responsible for the feeling of hunger.
The same is true for muscle loss. Research suggests that short-term fasting to obtain energy from fat mass growth hormone levels increase. Its two other functions, anabolic and anti-catabolic, are precisely designed to prevent the destruction of muscle mass.
6. So how do you go hungry?
Of course, very carefully. And only after consulting a doctor. On average, to burn all the carbohydrates eaten during the day and stored as glycogen,
The most famous diet is simply called “5/2”. This nutrition system was invented by British journalist Michael Mosley, and in 2012 his film was released, dedicated to research on calorie restriction. As part of the diet, 5 days a week meals are taken as usual, and Calorie intake is limited for 2 days up to 500 kcal for women and 600 kcal for men, which must be consumed in no more than 2 doses.
Martin Berhan, journalist, trainer, bodybuilder, proposed a “16/8” nutrition plan, which must be followed fasting period for 16 hours and train on an empty stomach several times a week. Ori Hofmekler adheres to similar principles in his “20/4” diet, where only 4 hours are allotted for eating. During the rest of the time, you should limit yourself to freshly squeezed juice and snacks of nuts and dried fruits.
What do you think about refusing to eat? Can autophagy be considered a salvation from all diseases or is it just another fashionable habit?
We do not in any way encourage you to use these methods. The information is provided for informational purposes only.
Health
Our body is able to cleanse itself of toxins and even become younger after fasting. For this incredible discovery, 71-year-old Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi received a Nobel Prize worth $950,000 in 2016.
We tell you what the secret of his technique is.
Yoshinori's discovery is based on the mechanism of autophagy. This process is a system for recycling and recycling unnecessary cellular parts.
Autophagy, according to the scientist, may well be used to combat dementia and cancer.
Benefits of fasting
The phenomenon itself was discovered back in the 1960s, but then scientists were unable to fully understand its importance.
Thanks to autophagy, the cell is able to cope with the infection that has entered it, remove toxins and rejuvenate. Osumi was able to prove that the entire autophagy mechanism begins to work most efficiently when the body experiences stress, for example, starvation.
Autophagy is the body's internal renewal program, during which unwanted parts of cells are eliminated on their own, while good elements remain to generate energy and create new, healthy cells. This process is critical in preventing cancer, protecting against infections, maintaining a healthy metabolism, and protecting against diseases such as diabetes.
Interesting about autophagy
Dysfunctional autophagy is directly linked to the development of Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and many other age-related problems. Active research is currently underway to develop drugs that will help harness the power of autophagy to treat various diseases.
The term “autophagy” comes from two Greek words that mean “self-sufficiency.” Autophagy is a process by which cellular debris is captured and sealed in bag-like membranes called autophagosomes. The sealed contents are transported to the lysosome, a structure considered a waste cell.
One-day fasting
By studying the processes in yeast cells, the Japanese scientist isolated the main genes involved in autophagy and demonstrated how the proteins that encode these genes combine to create the autophagy membrane. He later showed that a similar process occurs in human cells, and that our cells could not survive without it.
The Nobel Committee confirmed that fasting for one day actually promotes excellent results. Autophagy protects the body from premature aging, and even rejuvenates it by creating new cells.
1. One eighth of the total population is hungry
Every eighth inhabitant of our planet falls asleep hungry every day. This is because more than 1 billion people on Earth face food insecurity. Such data is provided by the American Agency for International Development.
Approximately 70 percent of the citizens of this country know what food shortages are. In second place in this sad ranking is Kenya (51 percent), and third is Nigeria (47 percent).
3. To feed all the hungry people, we need to stop throwing away food.
Scientists involved in statistical calculations have come to the conclusion that in order to feed all the hungry people in Africa, you can simply collect all the food that residents of different countries throw away every day.
4. A person can live 40 days without food
Scientific studies have shown that an adult who does not experience strong physical exertion can easily survive without food for about 40 days. Moreover, he will not have any serious health problems.
5. In ancient India, debtors were influenced by hunger strikes
In Indian shastras (religious explanatory texts), it is recommended to put pressure on the debtor using short-term fasting (abhojana), and if that does not help, then use a fast to death (praya).
Indian “collectors” pressed for pity in this way. They could deprive not only themselves of food, but also their wives, children and servants. The suffering of the creditor and his family did not go unnoticed by the debtor, because the hunger strike took place right next to his house.
If in the end the creditor died, then the debtor bore full moral and legal responsibility for the murder of a person.
6. A three-day fast will help renew your immune system.
A group of scientists from the University of California came to this interesting conclusion. They conducted a study, the results of which showed that with short-term fasting for three days, the human immune system is renewed.
The restoration of our defense system occurs as a result of increased division of stem cells, which occurs during fasting, when the body is under stress. Also, during short-term fasting, there is a decrease in the concentration of a certain enzyme that is responsible for aging, and a certain hormone associated with the development of cancerous tumors.
7. Fasting is the most dangerous of all weight loss methods.
Maya Plisetskaya’s famous “don’t eat” diet is actually far from the best way to get rid of those hated pounds. In fact, fasting is extremely dangerous for our body. When there is no food, the body quickly and sharply decreases blood glucose, which means the amount of insulin, which is responsible for burning fat deposits in cells, also decreases.
As a result, during the period of fasting, acetone bodies accumulate, which increase acidity in the blood. These bodies move very actively throughout the body, poisoning it.
8. Fasting has no effect on fat stores
Glycogens disappear first. The body feeds on them first because they are quickly accessible energy reserves. Glycogens leave along with a large amount of fluid, so the weight goes away, but the fat does not disappear.
Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi received the Nobel Prize in 2016 for his explanation of autophagy, the mechanism by which cells rid themselves of all old cellular components that have served their purpose. Yoshinori Ohsumi identified the benefits of this process and the conditions under which it occurs.
Mechanisms of autography
Osumi has studied the relationship between spiritual practices and fasting for many years. In the process, he proved that when there is a lack of nutrients, cells begin to self-destruct outdated resources. This is called autophagy. It is the only way to renew cellular structures.
The term “autophagy” was introduced into biology back in 1974 before the discovery of Yoshinori Ohsumi.
It was invented by Christian de Duve, who also discovered autophagosomes, a “transport” for delivering cellular structures to lysosomes. The essence of Yoshinori Ohsumi's research is as follows:
- The biologist conducted an experiment on mutated fungi that do not have a protein decomposition mechanism.
- Yoshinori Ohsumi's autograph showed that only cells that did not receive nutrition did not change. Fungi that were in conditions of food shortage began to accumulate autophagosomes and use the resources they already had.
- Yoshinori Ohsumi's discovery is that cells that do not receive nutrients begin to “eat” unnecessary structures within themselves. As a result, during fasting a person does not feel hungry.
- Having studied the processes of autophagy in more detail, the Japanese scientist proved that after the access to food is stopped, the fat layer gradually decreases.
What is a power window
Ohsumi continued his research into intermittent fasting and its effects on muscles. He arranged “nutrition windows” for them - the time during which a person eats. For example, if a person has breakfast at 7 a.m., then the specified period opens at 8 a.m. If dinner falls at 8–10 p.m., then the window extends to 12–14 hours.
Studies conducted on animals showed that those individuals who periodically fasted felt better, lived longer and were less sick compared to those who ate a normal diet. It is worth noting that both groups received quality products. This means that a small window of nutrition is more beneficial for the body.
Its main properties:
- reduces the risk of breast cancer;
- increases UV protection;
- reduces blood pressure;
- improves sleep quality;
- reduces the risk of heart disease.
Fasting patterns
Please note that the Yoshinora Osumi system, or fasting diet, has several variations of intermittent fasting. The main ones are the following:
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Fasting scheme |
Description |
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This is an eight-hour eating window, or three meals a day system. This cyclic fasting scheme is the most common. The bottom line is that you need to abstain from food for 16 hours during the day, and organize meals during the remaining 8 hours. Best option:
You can choose another option, the main thing is that there is an interval of 8 hours between extreme meals. The scheme can be followed daily. |
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A ten-hour eating window is the most gentle fasting scheme. Meals should be organized within 10 hours:
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Four-hour eating window:
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This is a daily fast from one meal to another, for example, from breakfast to breakfast the next day. It is allowed to carry out 1-2 times weekly. |
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The “every other day” scheme, the essence of which is fasting for 36 hours. The technique involves breakfast at 8 am and refusal to eat until 8 pm the next day. |
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For 5 days you need to eat well, and for 2 days off you need to fast or consume no more than 500 kcal. |
Rules for intermittent fasting
Please note that until you get used to hunger, you can drink green or lightly brewed black tea without additives. The desire to eat something will be wave-like. As soon as a person drinks water, hunger goes away for several hours. Other rules of the intermittent fasting technique:
- During fasting, monitor your own sensations.
- Enlist the support of your loved ones.
- Drink plenty of water both during abstinence and during your eating window.
- Come out of fasting gradually - do not overeat the next day after finishing the technique.
- Do not draw conclusions earlier than after a month of regular compliance with the rules.
- Don't let yourself think about hunger, get busy.
The announcement of the winner of the prize in physiology or medicine began the annual Nobel week in Stockholm on Monday.
“Osumi is known in the scientific world; he has been doing his key works since 1992. His main achievement was the discovery of autophagy genes that are involved in this process in yeast. Then other scientists began studying these genes in mammals and humans. It turned out that this is a very conservative group of genes, which includes about 30 genes that were preserved during evolution and perform the original functions, and Professor Osumi was actually the founder of this field, explained Valery Pospelov. In 1974, Professor Christian de Duve received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of lysosomes.
The essence of autophagy is that various cell organelles that are subject to degradation are placed in autophagosome structures, which merge with lysosomes, forming an autophagolysosome, where special enzymes are involved in protein degradation.
“In fact, autophagy is relevant to processes such as cancer and aging.
When the autophagy process is disrupted, problems such as Parkinson’s disease or cancer can arise, the scientist explained. “After all, cancer cells continuously divide and receive support from the autophagy process, since it performs a protective function, the cell receives carte blanche for further division. And the efforts of molecular oncologists and biologists are aimed at combating this in order to find adequate inhibitor substances that can suppress the protective function of autophagy in cancer cells.”
By the way, Osumi was already named as a candidate for the Nobel Prize by Thomson Reuters, albeit back in 2013.
Previously, the most likely candidates for the Nobel Prize in this field were three groups of scientists who made contributions to the fight against cancer.
