How fasting can clear out old, damaged cells and prevent needless ageing
Growing evidence points to preventing cells from entering the senescent cycle as being one of the fundamental ways of fighting the ageing process. In our previous newsletter we look at exactly why our bodies turn to the senescent cycle. Now it’s time to explore the best ways to prevent senescence, and ways to clear out old, damaged senescent cells when they do occur.
Some of the best ways to avoid the DNA damage that leads to cells entering the senescence cycle in the first place are to limit exposure to harmful UV radiation from the sun, getting just the right amount of exercise, and following a healthy diet – including limiting our sugar intake to help keep blood sugar levels steady. Whilst we can’t avoid cells entering the senescent cycle entirely, following these key habits to promote healthy DNA can certainly help.
When cells are senescent, they can actually damage other nearby healthy cells, so the damage multiplies. Senescent cells are also known to produce a mixture of factors known as SASP, with one study showing “During aging, the SASP is thought to be partially responsible for persistent chronic inflammation, also known as inflammaging, that contributes to multiple age-related phenotypes.” There is no doubt it’s essential to rid ourselves of senescent cells if we want to combat the signs of ageing, and research has shown that, “The elimination of senescent cells improved several age-associated conditions”.
One of the best-known ways to remove senescent cells is by stimulating autophagy, essentially a process where our cells digest themselves. The best way to do this? Fasting. An experiment showed that in “mice deprived of food, an upregulation of autophagy was seen after only 24 h, and this effect was magnified after 48 h”. By fasting, cells are encouraged to initiate the autophagy process and clear out those unwanted senescent cells.
Here at NMN Bio, we encourage combining fasting with NMN supplementing to boost NAD+ levels and gain the maximum anti-ageing benefits from your fast. Moreover, we also recommend combining your NMN intake with a teaspoon of dried parsley, which contains apigenin. Apigenin is a substance that acts as a CD38 inhibitor, which is a factor that is increased with inflammaging. CD38 has also been identified as a NAD+ consuming enzyme. By combining NMN that is suggested to increase NAD+ levels in different tissues with apigenin that lowers CD38 activity, the effects of NMN supplementation will most likely increase.
References
Senescence and aging: Causes, consequences, and therapeutic avenues
The effect of fasting or calorie restriction on autophagy induction: A review of the literature
