Part 4/10:
Oleuropein activates AMPK and suppresses mTOR, effectively hijacking these pathways. This switch flips the cell into a cleanup mode regardless of actual caloric intake, setting off a cascade of health-promoting processes—including autophagy.
Autophagy: The Body's Internal Clean-Up Crew
Once activated, autophagy serves as a specialized cellular cleaning service. It targets and dismantles:
Misfolded proteins and protein aggregates, which are linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
Damaged mitochondria, the cell's power plants, which if malfunctioning, produce harmful free radicals.
Senescent (zombie) cells, that refuse to die and contribute to chronic inflammation, a key driver in aging, or inflammaging.