007: How To Balance mTOR and AMPK For Optimal Health and Longevity
mTOR, which stands for mechanistic target of rapamycin or mammalian target of rapamycin, has roles in both anabolic and catabolic processes, depending on the signals it receives.
1. Its’ Anabolic Role is associated with promoting anabolism, which involves processes that build and synthesize complex molecules from simpler ones. In this context, mTOR stimulates protein synthesis, leading to the creation of new proteins and promoting cell growth as in muscle building and tissue repair. Higher protein and more calories ramps up mTOR
2. It’s Catabolic Role is that it also reduces catabolic processes which are processes that break things down. At first glance this may seem like a good thing but AMPK – a catabolic process - which we learned yesterday plays a vital role in longevity by eliminating damaged or malfunctioning organelles and proteins, maintaining cellular health and preventing the accumulation of toxic substances is shut down by mTOR.
So, as is the case with most processes involving health and longevity we need balance.
We want the benefits of AMPK and autophagy by recycling malfunctioning cells and parts of cells but we also want to be able to build and maintain a strong, energetic and resilient body.
The simplest and easiest technique to do this is by implementing intermittent fasting. By not eating for 12 to 16 hours per day we are depriving our bodies of any calories which allows AMPK and autophagy to kick in and do it’s house cleaning, and then during our eating window we give our bodies the calories and protein it needs to build and maintain optimal amounts of muscle and other processes related to growth and repair.
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