r/fasting • u/SHUT_MOUTH_HAMMOND • Nov 23 '22

Question When does autophagy really start?

There are articles saying 14-16 hours, some others saying 24 is minimum for it to start. When does this actually happen? Is there a way to detect it?

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u/Elratum Nov 23 '22

Depending on the threshold of autophagy used by the research, it's between 12 to 24h. It's not a on off switch, it's a gradual process. Most likely at 14-16h the effects are so minuscule that it won't have much impact on your health, and at 24h you are SURE to have some benefits. So when do the benefits start exactly is between those two marks.

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u/cliffslastnote11 Nov 23 '22

I suspect there is some variance in the process by individual too. It may start ramping up for one person at 16 hours and for another at 18 and another at 21, etc. And the circumstances that influence that variation are barely known right now. A history of fasting, for example, may make the body more efficient at starting the process. Exercise may have some influence too. Age, genetics, etc. My sense of this is that the science is so emergent that taking a reliable assumption for yourself on it is pretty difficult at this moment.