What If You Stop Eating For 72 Hours? : 1375
The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
Dave Asprey
4.6 • 7.3K Ratings
🗓️ 7 December 2025
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Most people think fasting is just about skipping breakfast. But what if 72 hours without food could actually reverse aging?
In this video, Dave Asprey breaks down what really happens when you fast for 3 days—and why short fasts don’t reach the deep repair zone your body is built for. You’ll learn:
The 3 critical stages your body passes through during fasting
How autophagy turns on and begins cellular repair
What mistakes destroy your progress (like bad refeeding or skipping electrolytes)
How to properly prepare, fast, and recover safely
Why fasting can make your mitochondria stronger, your mind sharper, and your cells younger
*** Dave's Biohacking Holiday Gift Guide | Go to https://daveasprey.com/giftguide/ to explore the full guide. ***
Timestamps
0:00 - Why 16-hour fasts don’t reach real fat burning
0:54 - The myth of aging and what doctors overlook
1:48 - How modern life damages your mitochondria
2:48 - How fasting restores your body’s repair mode
3:39 - Understanding the phases of fasting
4:58 - Why short fasts cut results short
5:34 - Day 1 of fasting
6:45 - Day 2 of fasting
7:22 - Day 3 of fasting
8:24 - Common fasting mistakes that harm your body
9:35 - How to prepare before your fast
10:31 - The right way to refeed afterward
11:14 - Listening to your body’s signals and responses
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Giving gifts to loved ones is really good for your biology. |
| 0:04.0 | Studies show generosity improves mood, reduces anxiety, and increases your levels of feel-good neurotransmitters like oxytocin. |
| 0:13.0 | You can make meaningful gifting a breeze this year with my 20-25 holiday gift guide. |
| 0:19.0 | It's not just for biohackers. It's for anyone on your list who wants to look good, feel good, and perform better. |
| 0:25.2 | Real science backs every product on the list. |
| 0:27.8 | I've tried and tested each one, and they deliver real, noticeable results. |
| 0:32.9 | The holidays are coming fast. |
| 0:34.7 | Don't risk giving another gift that ends up in a drawer, or worse, in the trash. |
| 0:39.3 | Go to Dave Asprey.com slash gift guide to explore the full guide. You'll find something cool for everyone on your list. |
| 0:46.9 | That's Dave Asprey.com slash gift guide. Happy holidays and happy giving. |
| 0:54.9 | I fasted for three days and here's what happened. |
| 0:57.9 | I actually starved it up. |
| 0:59.8 | You probably tried a 16-hour fast. |
| 1:02.5 | You skip breakfast, you feel good about yourself, repeat. |
| 1:05.2 | It's not that hard. |
| 1:06.3 | It drops your insulin a little bit, burns some stored sugar, but that's exactly the problem. |
| 1:10.7 | At 16 hours, you that's exactly the problem. |
| 1:11.2 | At 16 hours, you're mostly still burning sugar. |
| 1:14.7 | Your body hasn't flipped the real switch into deep fat burning yet. |
| 1:18.2 | It's only after 24 hours, 36, 48, even 72 hours without food that the real transformation |
| 1:23.7 | begins. |
| 1:24.7 | Because in three days without food, your body can do what no supplement, |
... |
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