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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Activating Autophagy by Aerobic Exercise in Mice
Published on: February 3, 2017
Autophagy and the cell biology of age-related disease
Andrew M Leidal1, Beth Levine2,3,4, Jayanta Debnath5
1Department of Pathology and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Macroautophagy (autophagy) is a conserved lysosomal degradation process essential for cellular homeostasis and adaption to stress. Accumulating evidence indicates that autophagy declines with age and that impaired autophagy predisposes individuals to age-related diseases, whereas interventions that stimulate autophagy often promote longevity. In this Review, we examine how the autophagy pathway restricts cellular damage and degeneration, and the impact of these functions towards tissue health and organismal lifespan.
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