The BluePrint with Dr. Erik Korem #322. Autophagy, Hormones, and Lifespan: A Deep Dive into Fasting with Dr. Krista Varady
This is the second episode on the science of fasting with Dr. Krista Varady, a leading researcher in intermittent fasting and a Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago. With over 15 years of experience in studying fasting, Dr. Varady shares her insights on autophagy, the impact of fasting on hormones, and the potential lifespan benefits of intermittent fasting.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• The science behind autophagy and its occurrence in humans during fasting. • The impact of caloric restriction on hormones, specifically androgens. • The potential effects of intermittent fasting on lifespan. • The challenges in interpreting scientific literature and the importance of responsible science communication. • The truth about fasting products and their claims.
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Quotable moments:
20:29: “Basically [autophagy] is when your body doesn't have any nutrients coming in and your body doesn't have to release all this insulin to process like blood sugar and all this stuff, your body kind of has a chance to like look inward on itself and clean itself up.”
21:02: *“So what starts happening is it, it kind of finds like misbehaving cell. Like cell components that are like just kind of dying or just old and then it kind of just recycles them or just completely gets rid of them. So it's kind of like a renewal mechanism.”
23:16 “Like, I get companies all the time are asking me like, you know, they're trying to make these autophagy products, and I'm like, no, sorry, I'm not interested. I just don't think we have enough information about this. You know, all the questions I was saying, like how much protein, like what should we put in the shake? Like, so we can call it an autophagy shake. And I was like, just don't do that.”*
26:20 “I'd say intermittent fasting either has like no effect usually on, on reproductive hormones, but it may actually benefit people with PCOS. But results are still to come.”
28:49 “So right now we only have like a couple studies in rodent models showing that are very similar to what we're seeing with the calorie restriction data. Like if you restrict yourself or a by like 20% of energy needs, they'll live 20% longer. If you restrict them by 30%, they'll live 30% longer up until I think a max of 30%. It's kind of like this mirroring effect. None of that's been shown in humans though.”
ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT PODCAST:
The BluePrint Podcast is for busy professionals and Household CEOs who care deeply about their families, career, and health. Host Dr. Erik Korem distills cutting edge-science, leadership, and life skills into simple tactics optimized for your busy lifestyle and goals. Dr. Korem interviews scientists, coaches, elite athletes, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and exceptional people to discuss science and practical skills you can implement to become the most healthy, resilient, and impactful version of yourself.
On a mission to equip people to pursue audacious goals, thrive in uncertainty, and live a healthy and fulfilled life, Dr. Erik Korem is a High-Performance pioneer. He introduced sports science and athlete-tracking technologies to collegiate and professional (NFL) football over a decade ago. He has worked with the National Football League, Power-5 NCAA programs, gold-medal Olympians, Nike, and the United States Department of Defense.
Erik is an expert in sleep and stress resilience. He is the Founder and CEO of AIM7, a health and fitness app that unlocks the power of wearables by providing you with daily personalized recommendations to enhance your mind, body, and recovery.
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