Links Between Autophagy and Healthy Aging.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of mechanistic, preclinical, and human literature without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 41577121 · doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2026.169656
What was done
This narrative review summarizes molecular and cross-species literature evaluating how autophagy affects healthy aging, lifespan, and healthspan. The authors synthesized findings on how genetic perturbations, pharmacological compounds, and lifestyle factors—specifically dietary restriction, exercise, sleep adjustments, and temperature modulation—influence autophagy in model organisms and humans.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data, effect sizes, or trial counts. It qualitatively notes that autophagy functions as a shared, conserved downstream mechanism necessary for mediating the healthspan and longevity benefits produced by diverse lifestyle and pharmacological interventions.
Why it matters
The paper synthesizes disparate longevity interventions under the common framework of autophagy-driven cellular homeostasis and highlights key translational obstacles for human longevity medicine.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search criteria, meta-analytic pooling, and risk-of-bias assessments. The underlying evidence base is heavily reliant on non-human model organisms; human application is limited by the absence of reliable in vivo autophagy assays and a lack of longitudinal studies linking autophagy biomarkers to clinical outcomes.
Cited by
- supports Time-restricted eating, calorie restriction, and exercise all increase cellular autophagy.