In the modern context of not only having relatively easy access to sufficient nutrients but to food in excess, our baseline rate of autophagy is low238 and slips down even lower as we get older. A decline in autophagic capacity with age has been described in nearly all animals analyzed.239 This can lead to more accumulation of cellular debris, which can then further impair our aging cells. This may be why inadequate autophagy is not just a consequence of aging but is considered to be one of its causes.
