Well autophagy is real, there’s little doubt IF encourages it. Your body doesn’t have as much time to heal if it’s constantly being told by insulin to be in nutrient-processing mode. And digesting food itself is also just mechanically intensive. It’s possible you just have more time for “repairs” now. I know my skin looks great in the days following fasts. It also could just be you eat better more nutrient-rich foods in general now. Some (un)educated guesses
Congratulations on surviving.
I haven’t had that effect from IF, although there’s so many factors as to why you and I have had different results regarding that.
(Source: breast cancer survivor who did chemo and had a bilateral mastectomy.)