Autophagy keeps getting brought up with such pseudoscientific bullshit explanations that I can't help but see it as snake oil. Furthermore, depending on who is describing it, the window for autophagy to kick in is anywhere from 8-48+ hours.
In other words, the question isn't whether autophagy exists. The question is over whether fanatical "one-weird-trick" claims about autophagy are true and, further, what the impact actually is and compared to what.
For example, autophagy is happening all the time, not just during during starvation. And it hasn't been demonstrated that fasting for 3 days to increase autophagy levels has a net benefit versus eating a nutrient-rich diet during that timeframe.
Instead we just get vague but lofty claims in forum posts.
Does my circulatory system need to fully rest so as not to develop dysfunction?