Powerful Way to Increase Autophagy by 40% Without Fasting (new study) - Biochemist Mike Mutzel

Intro (0s)

• Autophagy is a cellular recycling process, and there are ways to increase it (0s).
• A study found that autophagy can be increased significantly based on factors such as an individual's V02 Max (11s).
• The study showed that physically fit individuals experience greater levels of autophagy when they fast, regardless of the duration of the fast (32s).
• The study's findings suggest a correlation between physical fitness and increased autophagy levels (29s).
• The goal is to explore strategies for implementing the study's findings to increase autophagy levels in daily life (18s).

The Study (42s)

• A clinical study was conducted to determine the effects of exercise on autophagy, where participants were randomized based on their V2 Max to measure their level of fitness (42s).
• The study subjects fasted for 36 hours, and biomarkers of autophagy initiation proteins, such as hg1 and hg3, were measured every 12 hours (48s).
• The study found that people who regularly exercised had 40% greater levels of autophagy at every time point throughout the fast, compared to those who didn't exercise, even starting at just 12 hours (1m23s).
• The participants were stratified based on their V2 Max level, which determined their level of physical fitness (1m16s).
• The study suggests that regular exercise can increase autophagy, making fasting more efficient, and that individuals who exercise regularly may not need to fast for as long to achieve the same benefits (1m48s).
• Exercise can fine-tune metabolic machinery, allowing individuals to enter the fasted state more quickly and increasing autophagy more rapidly, even with shorter fasts of 18 or 24 hours (1m59s).
• Engaging in regular physical activity, such as walking or going to the gym, can make fasting more efficient and increase autophagy (2m10s).

Free Sample Flavors Pack of LMNT (2m23s)

• LMNT offers a product line of sparkling electrolytes that come in a can, providing an electrolyte effect in a soda-like taste, which is beneficial for those in a caloric deficit or trying to build muscle while staying lean (2m24s).
• These sparkling electrolytes can be consumed during workouts or throughout the day and contain 1,000 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, and 60 milligrams of magnesium, making them fasting-friendly (2m48s).
• LMNT also offers regular packs that can be used as a baseline, and a link is provided to get a free variety pack with any purchase, which includes a sample of each flavor (3m4s).
• The variety pack includes flavors such as citrus salt (lemon-lime), watermelon salt, and grapefruit salt, and can be obtained by visiting drinklmnt.com/Thomas (3m14s).
• The link to drinklmnt.com/Thomas is available in the top line of the description, and it is recommended to check out their sparkling flavors (3m24s).

How Long Do You Need to Fast For? (3m33s)

• Fasting is sometimes chosen over exercise due to the ease of implementation, as exercise involves movement, hard work, and can be laborious and uncomfortable (3m34s).
• A study found that sedentary individuals started to see appreciable amounts of autophagy increase after 36 hours of fasting (4m11s).
• The duration of fasting required to achieve appreciable amounts of increased autophagy levels depends on the individual's exercise habits (4m27s).
• Regular exercise can enhance the benefits of 24 or 36 hours of fasting, making it more efficient and beneficial for longevity and cancer prevention (4m29s).
• Prioritizing recreational exercise is recommended to maximize the benefits of fasting (4m44s).
• Autophagy increases significantly up to 24 hours of fasting, levels off, and then increases again at 72 hours, with 72 hours being the point of diminishing returns (5m2s).
• Exercise can lead to a 40% increase in autophagy above the already increasing rate, which is a significant incremental increase (4m48s).

The Importance of Vo2 max (5m26s)

• VO2 Max is a crucial indicator of physical fitness and effort, with significant improvements in VO2 Max requiring substantial effort and time (5m32s).
• There is a correlation between VO2 Max and longevity, as well as the ability to oxidize fat, with individuals having a higher VO2 Max being better at burning fat (6m1s).
• A higher VO2 Max enables the body to oxidize fat at a potentially higher intensity, making it more efficient at burning fat (6m35s).
• Research suggests that each increase in VO2 Max is associated with increased autophagy, with individuals having higher VO2 Max levels showing significantly greater amounts of autophagy initiation proteins and biomarkers (7m18s).
• The study stratified people into two groups: low VO2 Max and self-reported non-exercisers versus self-reported exercisers with higher VO2 Max, with the latter group showing greater autophagy (7m2s).
• VO2 Max is relative to one's age, and the study adjusted for age when measuring VO2 Max (7m10s).
• Exercise and fasting are complementary activities that can activate autophagy, with higher VO2 Max levels allowing individuals to potentially enter a state of autophagy faster (7m38s).
• Autophagy can occur at all times in different cells and tissues in the body, but physical fitness and metabolic fitness from fasting and exercise can make this process more efficient (8m19s).
• A higher VO2 Max can enable individuals to start experiencing autophagy sooner, even when not officially fasting, such as during an overnight fast or between meals (8m0s).

Strength vs Endurance vs Sedentary (8m38s)

• A study in Sweden examined the levels of proteins released in lifelong exercisers based on their exercise subtype, including sedentary controls, 15-year endurance-trained athletes, and 15-year strength-trained athletes, to see if the muscles of lifelong athletes release different proteins at rest compared to sedentary controls (8m39s).
• The study used genomics and proteomics to analyze how genes make proteins and how these proteins affect cell function in the body (9m18s).
• The investigators found 680 different proteins increased in endurance-trained athletes compared to sedentary controls, and around 480 proteins were differentially expressed in strength-trained athletes (9m31s).
• 92% of these proteins were related to mitochondrial function, mitophagy, and the subspecialized autophagy that helps clear damaged and deranged mitochondria (10m6s).
• Mitochondria are susceptible to damage and can accumulate exhaust, but exercise, especially endurance exercise, is efficient in fine-tuning mitochondria through mitophagy (10m37s).
• Fine-tuning mitochondria through exercise translates into reductions in cancer, better metabolic health, better cognitive function, and other benefits (10m58s).
• The study's findings reframe the conversation for people, highlighting the importance of endurance exercise for longevity, in addition to compound movements and strength training (11m15s).
• The endurance group consisted of people who did endurance-based events competitively, such as swimming, running, and triathlons, while the strength-based group consisted of powerlifters and weightlifters (11m57s).
• The study did not specify the percentage of overlap between the proteins found in the strength and endurance groups (11m42s).
• A recent study found that endurance-trained muscle releases more favorable proteins than strength-trained muscle, which may seem counterintuitive, but endurance exercise is powerful for affecting skeletal muscle and the cardiorespiratory system (12m42s).
• Endurance training is important for improving V to Max, an indicator of cardiorespiratory health, which can be achieved through high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and endurance training (12m58s).
• There is a growing interest in the "hybrid athlete" who combines strength and endurance training, and this approach may have additive effects and synergies (13m20s).
• One of the shortcomings of endurance athletes is that they often do not strength train, which is important for bone density, hormones, and overall health (14m5s).
• A hybrid approach that combines strength and endurance training may be beneficial for overall health and athletic performance, and may even lead to better muscle growth and hypertrophy (14m37s).
• When combining endurance-based work with strength training, it's possible to put on better muscle and feel leaner, possibly due to being more metabolically healthy and able to absorb necessary nutrients for muscle growth (14m50s).
• Eating sufficient calories to offset the calorie deficit from exercise is important for supporting muscle growth and hypertrophy, even when doing endurance-based work (15m12s).
• Incorporating more movement into daily life, such as taking a walk or going for a rock outside between gym sets, can be an easy way to increase autophagy without adding extra time to one's weekly routine (15m27s).
• The concept of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) or afterburn effect can be taken a step further to describe a long-term, systemic metabolic benefit from consistent exercise and high VO2 max (15m57s).
• Consistent exercise and high VO2 max can provide benefits at rest, independent of calories or general metabolic health, essentially allowing individuals to "marinate" in their own benefits (16m17s).
• Muscle mass and VO2 max are considered key investments for long-term health, providing short and long-term benefits (16m53s).
• Using power as an output, rather than heart rate, is recommended for endurance or cardio-based training, as it can provide a more accurate measure of performance (17m1s).
• Training for power and strength, rather than just focusing on heart rate, can be more effective for improving overall fitness and reducing the risk of falls in older age (17m25s).
• Zone 2 training, which involves building capillary density through long, slow distance exercise, may have some benefits, but it is recommended to increase intensity and power to achieve greater results (17m56s).
• Strength is considered crucial for overall health, particularly in older age, as it can help prevent falls and improve neuromuscular connection (18m7s).

Cardio Zones (18m25s)

• Building a base through Zone 2 training doesn't mean it becomes one's entire life, but rather it becomes the new baseline, allowing for better recovery at a slightly higher heart rate after high-intensity activities (18m32s).
• The goal of Zone 2 training is to reestablish a base, making it easier to recover from higher intensity activities, and this concept is especially relevant for endurance athletes and competitive cyclists (19m15s).
• While Zone 2 training has benefits, it's essential not to become myopic and focus solely on these benefits, as other aspects of training, such as high-intensity training, are also crucial (19m28s).
• There is no objective marker to measure the effectiveness of Zone 2 training, unlike V2 Max, which is a clear and predictive indicator of fitness (19m48s).
• High-intensity training, above Zone 2, is necessary to build V2 Max, and moderate intensity training can also be beneficial (20m17s).
• Focusing on short-duration, high-intensity training, such as strength training and HIIT, can help build V2 Max, even without intentional Zone 2 training (20m51s).
• Some individuals may find it challenging to stay in Zone 2, as it can feel like a waste of time, and they may prefer to either go for a walk at Zone 1 or bump up to Zone 3 for a more intense workout (21m11s).
• Chris Hinshaw is mentioned as someone who explained the concept of reestablishing a base through Zone 2 training eloquently (19m4s).

Thomas' Vo2 max Test (21m30s)

• A V02 Max test was conducted with Andy Galpin, which showed that fat was being oxidized at a high rate, even at high intensity, with approximately 95% of the test being fat-oxidized before crossing the one reer threshold (21m30s).
• The one reer threshold was not crossed until far into the test and not until the post-exercise recovery phase, indicating that fat was being oxidized at a high rate even during intense exercise (21m43s).
• This is unusual compared to most people, who would likely cross the one reer threshold at around 70% of the way through their V02 Max test and become more glycolytic, relying on carbohydrates for energy (22m23s).
• The ability to burn fat at a higher intensity has several benefits, including being able to sustain a higher intensity for longer periods of time due to having more fat available than carbohydrates (22m36s).
• From a body composition perspective, this means that moderate-intensity intervals can be performed while still oxidizing fat, rather than relying on carbohydrates, allowing for more efficient fat utilization (22m50s).
• This increased efficiency in fat utilization provides more flexibility in terms of the percentage of fat being used as fuel, making it easier to achieve specific fat loss goals (23m7s).

Using Fats for Fuel (23m20s)

• Oxidizing fats through the mitochondria is linked to various beneficial health outcomes, and a lack of healthy mitochondria is associated with many diseases (23m26s).
• Efficiently burning fat at exercise is a proxy for good metabolic health and good mitochondria health, and most people should strive for this goal (23m45s).
• The average person often relies on sugar and carbohydrates for energy, but using fats and ketones for fuel can provide more efficiency and prevent crashes (23m55s).
• Utilizing fats and ketones for fuel can help prevent variability in blood glucose, which creates adrenal activation, cortisol, and insulin surges (24m19s).
• Making fat-burning machinery more efficient can reduce glycemic variability, which is an important goal to strive for (24m37s).
• Reducing glycemic variability can provide consistency in energy levels, rather than experiencing undulations in energy (24m49s).

Where to Find More of Mike (24m55s)

• Thomas is thanked for having a guest on, and the guest's website is high-intensityhealth.com (24m55s)
• The guest's YouTube channel is also called High-Intensity Health (24m58s)