What is autophagy? Sonali Bendre claims it helped in cancer recovery

Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre has sparked a row.

The 50-year-old actor, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer in 2018, wrote a post on social media last week crediting autophagy as part of her healing process.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer, this study really helped me. My naturopath introduced me to it, and this is what I followed – autophagy for healing. And I continue to follow it to date,” Bendre wrote.

She posted a link to an article describing how Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the mechanisms for autophagy in 2016. However, the concept itself is not new, as it was discovered in the 1960s.

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But what is autophagy? Can it help cancer patients?

What you need to know about autophagy

Autophagy is essentially the body’s way of reusing old and damaged cells, which are the building blocks of the human body.
Every cell comprises multiple parts. However, over time, these parts can stop functioning for any reason. Autophagy is a way for your body to take apart these damaged parts and refashion them into new cells.

Autophagy provides several benefits to the human body, including getting rid of old and non-functioning cells and destroying viruses and bacteria. It occurs when a body’s cells are short of nutrients, oxygen or are damaged. Once it begins, the cell essentially devours itself to survive. However, this results in your cells working more efficiently over the long term.

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• Fasting

• Eating fewer calories than required

• Going on a high-fat, low-carb diet like the keto diet

• Exercising strenuously

However, this may not be safe for everyone. For example, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or those suffering from diabetes, should not fast or go on a keto diet. Similarly, those undergoing heavy exercise must consult a physician.

Can it help cancer patients?

A study published in the National Library of Medicine shows that autophagy could potentially stop cancer cells or tumours from forming. However, experts say more research is required on this front.

However, they say that once the cancerous tumours have formed inside the body, autophagy could actually be quite bad for human beings.

As Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, a senior consultant hepatologist known as the Liver Doc, pointed out on social media, “The reality is far more complex: cancer cells actually exploit autophagy to survive harsh conditions like chemotherapy and low oxygen, meaning that triggering autophagy could theoretically help tumours survive rather than eliminate them. This oversimplified ‘detox’ narrative preys on vulnerable cancer patients by promising miraculous results from fasting regimens while potentially delaying proven treatments, ignoring that the relationship between autophagy and cancer is highly context-dependent and still being researched.”

To sum it up, autophagy is by no means a certified, scientific treatment for cancer.

Bendre slammed over autophagy, responds on social media

However, Bendre was criticised by several experts for promoting misinformation about unproven cancer treatments at a time when misinformation is running rampant on social media.

As Dr Philips pointed out, “In 2018, you were diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic endometrial cancer that had spread to other parts of the body. You moved to New York for an intense cancer treatment regimen, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.”

“In 2019, you shared that you had achieved remission, and were officially cancer-free and returned to India. I repeat, your cancer went into remission after chemotherapy, radiation and surgery at an advanced cancer treatment hospital. Not because of naturopathy. Not because of autophagy. Because you have the option (and privilege) to opt for the best treatments from scientific practice to help you.”

Dr Philips pointed out that autophagy is “a normal physiological process” and that there is no credible human evidence suggesting that it either prevents or cures cancer.

Dr Sumeet Shah, director at PSRI Hospital, New Delhi, added, “Seems like it is the season of tech bros, celebrities and influencers making false medical claims. Sad that cancer survivors have also joined the list.”

Radiation oncologist Dr Ajit pointed out, “Naturopathy/Ayurveda/Unani/Yoga/Siddha/Homeopathy does not treat cancer.”

Users also reminded Bendre that she was treated for her cancer at the famed Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.

Bendre on Monday issued a statement clarifying her remarks.

“I have never claimed to be a doctor, but I’m certainly not a quack either. I am a cancer survivor, someone who has lived through the fear, pain, uncertainty and rebuilding that the disease brings," she wrote.

“Everything I have ever spoken has been my experience and my learning. As I’ve repeatedly said, no two cancers are the same and no treatment path is identical. One of the many protocols I personally explored, after thorough research and medical guidance, was autophagy. It made a difference for me then and continues to do so today, for me," she added.

With inputs from agencies