<div> <p>In this episode, Eileen White, Chief Scientific Officer at the Rutgers Cancer Institute, describes the fundamental role of autophagy in the maintenance of health and prevention of neurodegeneration, cancer, and other diseases. She also goes into detail about the paradoxical finding that autophagy may benefit an existing cancer cell and help it to survive—a discovery leading to new possibilities in cancer therapy. We also discuss fasting (and molecules that induce autophagy) and the critical need to decode the proper fasting "dose" in order to improve human health.</p> </div> <div> <p>We discuss:</p> <p> </p> <ul type="disc"> <li>Eileen's discovery that a specific oncogene blocks apoptosis [3:40];</li> <li>Defining apoptosis and its role in cancer prevention [10:00];</li> <li>How cancer cells use the autophagy pathway to survive [17:20];</li> <li>Stressors that induce autophagy [29:15];</li> <li>The importance of autophagy in the brain and liver [32:45];</li> <li>The mechanisms that can trigger autophagy to support longevity [40:00];</li> <li>Evidence for cancer treatment by blocking autophagy [42:30];</li> <li>Types of cancer that are most autophagy-dependent [46:45];</li> <li>The autophagy paradox [52:40];</li> <li>Finding a molecular signal for autophagy [59:15];</li> <li>Current knowledge gaps around fasting as a tool for longevity [1:13:00];</li> <li>Rapamycin, metformin, and other molecules that may induce autophagy [1:22:15];</li> <li>How to study fasting and exercise as longevity tools [1:32:50];</li> <li>The Nobel Prize for autophagy research [1:36:45];</li> <li>Eileen's future areas of research [1:38:25];</li> <li>A fasting strategy for Alzheimer's Disease prevention[1:49:25];</li> <li>Future study of metabolism and autophagy [1:51:30]; and</li> <li>More. </li> </ul> <p>Learn more: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/">https://peterattiamd.com/</a><br /> <br /> Show notes page for this episode: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/eileenwhite">https://peterattiamd.com/eileenwhite</a> <br /> <br /> Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/">https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/</a><br /> <br /> Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/">https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/</a><br /> <br /> Connect with Peter on <a href="http://Facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Faceboo</u></a><u>k</u> | <a href="http://Twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Twitter</u></a> | <a href="http://Instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Instagram</u></a>.</p> </div>
Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Disease Prevention for Longevity
Understand that true longevity is achieved by delaying the onset of chronic diseases, making disease prevention the single most important tool in your health toolkit.
2. Autophagy’s Context-Dependent Role in Cancer
Stimulating autophagy can prevent cancer by delaying chronic damage and inflammation in normal tissues; however, once cancer is established, inhibiting autophagy may be beneficial as tumors often usurp it for survival.
3. Fasting to Reduce Chronic Disease Risk
Improve your metabolic health through fasting to significantly reduce the risk of major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes complications.
Prioritize the use of fasting as a potent and accessible method for health preservation, rather than solely seeking pharmacological agents to stimulate autophagy.
5. Exercise Potently Induces Autophagy
Engage in regular exercise, as it potently induces autophagy, which is crucial for mitigating muscle damage and supporting cellular repair processes.
6. Stimulate Autophagy for Brain Health
Focus on stimulating autophagy as a potential strategy to delay neurodegenerative diseases, given its essential role in neuronal protein and organelle quality control.
7. Autophagy Prevents Fatty Liver Disease
Autophagy is important in preventing fat accumulation and protein aggregate formation in the liver, highlighting its role in maintaining liver health and preventing conditions like steatosis.
8. Prolonged Fasting for Maximal Autophagy
To achieve a fully ‘cranked’ state of autophagy, consider a water-only fast of approximately seven days, as shorter fasts (e.g., 12 hours) are likely insufficient.
A three-day fast appears to be a minimum duration required to induce significant metabolic changes, such as a spike in uric acid and a bottoming out of glucose, indicating a meaningful metabolic shift.
10. Integrate Diet Quality with Fasting Practices
When implementing fasting for health, also consider the quality of your diet, as ‘what you eat’ is as crucial as ‘how many calories you eat’ or ‘how often you eat them.’
11. Rapamycin for Potential Neuroprotection
Explore rapamycin as a potential neuroprotective agent, noting pilot data suggests its benefits, likely mediated through mTOR inhibition and subsequent autophagy induction.
12. Access Deeper Longevity Content
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