Is It actually possible to live longer?
You've heard the advice to live longer. Fast occasionally. Exercise regularly. Cut back on calories.
But do you know whether these interventions actually work?
Deep inside every cell sits an ancient engine called the TCA cycle, also known as the Krebs cycle. This metabolic pathway doesn't just produce energy. It acts as a master regulator of aging itself.
When you eat excessively and remain sedentary, something shifts. A molecule called oxaloacetate activate mTOR, your growth signal.
Growth sounds good. But uncontrolled growth suppresses autophagy, your body's internal cleanup system. Damaged proteins accumulate. Cellular debris builds up. Aging accelerates.
So how does fasting or exercise help?
The signal gets redirected elsewhere. mTOR quiets down. Autophagy awakens. Your cells begin digesting their own damaged components and recycling them into fresh building blocks.
There's more.
Fasting and exercise suppress your biological aging clock. I will spare you the details, but it involves methylation of your DNA.
The TCA cycle also influences glutathione synthesis, your body's master antioxidant.
Glutathione provides a high-capacity sink further supporting autophagy and stem cell maintenance.
This is why all the interventions you hear about, fasting, calorie restriction, ketogenic diets, physical exercise, all converge on the same pathway.
They're not separate strategies. They're different levers pulling the same machine.
The limitation?
These interventions lose effectiveness over time as the body adapts. Research suggests combining them, or cycling between them, may sustain their benefits longer.
Your cells are constantly sensing nutrient availability. When nutrients are abundant, they grow and divide. When nutrients are scarce, they repair and recycle.
I have learnt again and again. The body is a miracle. It reproduces healthy cells every second. Health and longevity is a function of the environment you create for them, not the passage of time.
Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain
